Forbidden Sands (Codename: Shurima's Legacy)
by Synder99
Summary: The rumors about the Tomb of Emperors turned out to be true. Releasing the pure arcane evil and former best warrior from the eternal prison, Nasus helps his brother join the Institue of War. When Renekton eventually overcomes the madness, he starts a new chapter in his life. But it is not them who wield the cards. Watch as love, hatred and betrayal can destroy the whole system. M.
1. 1: Long After You're Gone

**Chapter One  
** **Long After You're Gone**

 **Renekton**

It was all dark, only a tiny beam of light was coming through the gap between two stones. The dirty air mixed with sand was getting harder and harder to breathe in. ' _Give in to your hate reptile.. and open these doors for me!'_ the magus teased him once more. How long they have been trapped here? No idea... he lost track years ago.

If only it was just him and Xerath down here, he could have resisted for centuries. And he was able to do so, until **it** appeared.

 _ **'It's because of them. The selfish emperor and brother traitor! They will pay the price! Yes... suffer..!'**_ the horrifying voice spoke in his mind again. ' _Wh..what? N..no... I did it for them. I... sacrificed.'_ The blue chains were piercing his arms, the sores and scars screamed with usnpeakable ache. He had enough.

 _ **'SACRIFICED?! Look around, where you are, blind fool. He trapped you with this freak, why didn't HE 'sacrifice' his own life, huh?!'**_ The voice growled with venom. _'If not me... whole Runeterra would have been... in danger... I... I can't do it...'_ he gasped, trying to inhale some fresh air with no success. His resistance was getting weaker and weaker each day.

Xerath laughed, pleased with watching his pointless fight against himself. ' _Aren't you tired?'_ He asked with fake compassion in his voice. The crocodile raised his head up with rests of his strength. ' _N..never...'_ he lied. If not the thirst he felt he would spat on him with all the livid hatred he had left.

 _ **'Are you kidding? Let ME do the job, the old mage will be crushed like a worm under our feet...'**_

 _'I can't!'_ Renekton cried out, realizing his defiance won't last long. The first tear was shred, slowly sliding down his cheek. Xerath smirked, mercilessly damaging Renekton's skin with another enchanted thunder. The crocodile frowned from pain, his body started trembling, bolts were erupting here and there. _'Have you ever wondered why he left you here on your own?'_ he asked calmly, like they were talking about the weather. The mage's hand reached for Renekton's chin and raised it to look at him. His yellow eyes, filled with tears against his blue, exploding with arcane energy. Xerath continued, still focused on him. ' _He never LOVED you, he never CARED, always JEALOUS of your powers, he was left behind because YOU were better! You see, now he has one less problem...'_

But Renekton didn't respond. Because of this he received a firm punch in his stomach. _'Are you THAT blind?! Your unawarness let you down..!'_ He shouted right in his ear. But he didn't answer. Renekton's thoughts were focused on beloved brother. He knew it couldn't be true... _could it?_ The reptile frowned and looked into enemy's eyes. _'Has anyone ever told you that you suck at lying?'_ The crocodile couldn't take it anymore. The sadness was slowly replaced by fury. ' _Are you so sure of it, Renekton?'_ Mage turned around. _'Because somehow I managed to fool your careless emperor!'_

But Renekton couldn't keep the conversation any longer. _'Go.. to.. HELL!'_ he roared with his last effort. But Xerath smiled. _'No, no, no... perhaps you misunderstood. Shouldn't it be me to say it..? -_ he stopped to load a missile of energy – _GO.. TO.. HELL?!'_ And then he fired, illuminating the tomb in blue color.

Renekton's body stiffened. He was losing consciousness, the vision getting darker and darker... he was terrified. Heavy fear filled his soul. The magus frowned, walking up to his lifeless body. _'I ask you for the last time, will you unseal the door?!'_ But he didn't get his answer. The chains broke under the sudden burst of Renekton's power.

 _ **'ARGHHHH!'**_ He launched himself right into the mage. The last thing the crocodile remembered was Xerath's fear painted on the whole face.

* * *

Red light...

Smell of.. **blood...**

 **Burning hatred...**

 **Nasus...** _ **Your cycle is closing to its end!**_

* * *

 _ **YEARS LATER**_

* * *

 **Dandelion**

 _'Late again... they shouldn't be angry, right?'_ She kept questioning herself while rushing through the long corridor, still putting on her cloak. A fuckin' hour of absence..

 _'Hey guys, how's the job goin'?'_ Dandelion nervously greeted the co-workers with a polite smile, walking through the glass doors to the Control Room. Grabbing the cup and pouring hot coffee from the machine she sat on her desk, humming a happy melody to calm down.

Something was wrong. Way too silent. She took a quick glance across the room. Everyone was looking at her. Yup, terribly wrong.

Trinket, the aging elder with long silver beard, cleared his throat. _'Oh shit, what have I missed this time..?'_ She questioned herself. _'You're late. Again.'_ He spoke. He wasn't angry. He was just sad. Dandelion didn't know which one was worse now. She didn't respond respond and looked down on her heels, embarrased, her hands still on the hot cup. The smell of coffee was hella distracting.

 _'Do you have any idea what happened an hour ago?'_ The elder questioned the girl. She shyly responded: _'N..no.'_ She looked up at him. But the master turned around, let out a heavy sigh and gestured at one of the teen men. _'Show her the tape.'_ He commanded with a tone of bitter. _'Yes master!'_ The guy answered immediately and walked up to the main console. She approached the boy and asked, whispering: _'How hard have I fucked up?'_ The boy kept looking at the controls, almost not moving his lips while giving an answer: _''Hard' will not express it enough.'_ The girl gulped. What on earth could be so important that she was needed back then?

 _'Here.'_ The teenager said sadly, backing off a couple of steps. The video started bufforing and eventually launched on the large projector.

* * *

The camera's objective was blinded by sun. It was all blurred, mixed colors of blue, black and yellow. _'HQ, do you copy?'_ The woman's low voice was very calm. _'Something to report, Sivir?'_ One of the female summoners responded. The picture caught sharpness and revealed the dark haired silhouette with jade green eyes. Desert sand was shining in the background. She looked really excited. _'Yes, Martha, we've reached the tomb. We're ready to explore it. Do we have your permission?'_ Another masculine voice responded: _'Yes you have. Repeat, you are allowed to explore the tomb.'_ Trinket was not hiding his excitation. _'Understood, over and out.'_

* * *

The transmition finished and the screen turned blank. _'Is that all?'_ Dandelion turned around to their master. She didn't understand what wrong happened about if that was all. _'No, it's not.'_ Martha, the girl who talked with Sivir, loaded up another clip.

The summoner turned her head to look again at the screen.

* * *

This time everything was black, until someone lighted a torch, revealing a tiny hall covered in cobwebs and litres of sand. A huge statue of a serpent was blinking with jade crystals from the other side. On its right there was a huge stone door covered in runes, barely visible thanks to a ray of light from the crack in the ceiling. The runes seemed familiar.. oldruneterran. Oh shit.

 _'Sivir here, we've reached the tomb.'_ The woman spoke up, probably hoping to see Martha. _'We see it clearly.'_ Trinket answered, standing in sight of the camera. _'Not as huge as I expected..'_

 _'But you haven't seen the gold yet, dear baron.'_ Her foreign accent sent shivers down Dandelion's spine, drawing out every 'a' in the sentence that was possible. First her long shadow, next she appeared from the right. The woman was stunningly wonderful, no doubt. Her long brown hair was reaching thin legs. Haunting yellow eyes were reflecting gold's and torch's warm light, but it lost it's cheerful spark in their depth. She was smiling, but it was not the smile of sincerness. Rather a smile of pure lust.

Sivir reached for her comrade's torch and walked over to the giant doors. The camera focused on the inscriptions written in the sandstone. _'Can you read it, dear?'_ The brunette asked impatiently and politely at once. _'No, I've never seen runes like these before..'_ Sivir quickly responded with a note of disappointment. The screen turned again on two women. _'you have a translator there, don't you?'_ The yellow-eyed kept asking not losing hope. _'Unfortunately Cassiopeia, we haven't seen her since yesterday evening.'_ Martha spoke up. _'Oh for fuck sake, why is everything against us now?'_ Cassiopeia exploded. Dandelion could feel her anger in her voice. The letters were shining in torch's light. So that's why she was needed.

 _'Can't we just blow it up?'_ Sivir asked suddenly after a brief silence. _'We've got explosives with us, don't we?'_

 _'That's too dangerous, you don't know if the tomb can collapse from even the smallest explosion!'_ Trinket reacted negatively to her idea. _'Even if you agreed, we don't have the dynamite anymore..'_ brunette responded, turning the camera on the group of people impaled on the spikes. The whole computer room let out an _'Oh!'_ when they noticed broken bones and open wounds with fresh blood slowly dripping down on the floor.

 _'Search for anything, buttons, levers, there must be a way to open them.'_ A male voice stated calmly. The women didn't say anything, but listened to the man's advice and looked around the room. Sivir slowly approached a small stone lying on the floor and sat down with the camera, leaving it in position to see the doors.

Cassiopeia walked up to the statue and looked closely into serpent's maw, pulling her hand to reach something. Seconds after, the woman turned around, equipped with a dagger with smaller jade crystals carved into it. Flipping the weapon back and forth, she kept saying something under her nose. All Dandelion heared was: _'This is the key..'_

Sivir took a quick glance at the sharp piece of metal. _'A knife? So what, you're gonna break through by scrathing the door?'_ She laughed at her idea. Despite the darkness, Dandelion noticed that Cassiopeia's smile faded and got replaced by an envious grimace. _'Darling, it all makes sense now.'_ Her words were as cold as Freljordian winter. The mistress frowned, slowly backing off from Cassiopeia. _'What the..?'_ The woman surrounded Sivir so she was between the door and the serpent statue. _'Now I know why they sent you here.'_ Neither Sivir, nor Dandelion had no idea what the brunette was talking about. _'But..'_

Without hesitation Cassiopeia stabbed her into her stomach, not letting her finish up the question. Her loud scream pierced Dandelion's ears. Covering her face with her hands, she couldn't help but let out a terrified _'Oh my god!'_. The traitor's face held a triumphant smile, mercilessly looking into Sivir's fading eyes, as she fell on her knees. _'You were the key, sweetie.'_

With a deaf hit, her body fell on the stone, her hair covering her face. The blood stain was getting bigger and bigger. She didn't want to watch it anymore... buy curiosity took over.

Another scream made her look up on the screen once more. But Cassiopeia wasn't there. Yet no one cared about her yelling for help, something more interesting was happening. The heavy doors started sliding, slowly revealing nothing but dust and darkness. Meanwhile green rays shined so bright from the source of the screams that they covered half of the screen. Dandelion looked into the nothingness. A pair of red eyes suddenly showed up.

In a split second, something huge jumped out. All that Dandelion noticed was that the creature looked bloody and old. It looked like an.. alligator maybe..? But when she wanted to take a closer look, the monster destroyed the camera with it's claw, ending the transmission.

* * *

The whole room went as still as grave again, until Trinket raised his voice. _'Now you saw how much your lazyness cost us.'_ Trinket's voice resounded like echo in the quiet room. _'I.. I know! But it won't happen again, I promise! I..'_

 _'Cut it off! I'm sure it won't, because you're fired!'_ Everyone was looking between her and their boss, not knowing which expression was more awful. But Dandelion had enough honor to not continue the lost fight. _'V.. very well.'_ With trembling voice the girl nodded at Trinket and just walked out, leaving the yellow cup on her desk.

* * *

 _'I beg you! There must be something you can do with it! I've done so much for this institute!'_ She cried out, losing last bits of hope.

 _'There's nothing I can do, sorry. You fucked up.'_ Natalee hesitated, but coldly added: _'No one can change his decisions, you know it.'_ She patted her on her shoulder, walking out of her room.

 _'FUCK!'_ Dandelion cursed, throwing her old teddy bear at the even ancient lamp on the wardrobe, pushing it on the ground. The cracking sound has been deafened by a carpet, but the pieces of porcelain landed on her baggage.

And so she ran out of helping hands, as the last one just left her for perdition. Fucking great. She looked at the phone. The hovercraft to Piltover was leaving in 30 minutes. The girl sighed heavily, still trembling from emotions. At least her bank balance was not that bad, they had paid her for this month already. Having looked at the app she was sure of it.

 _'It is time. You've failed them. This chapter has ended.'_ She kept saying it to herself while closing the flat, walking down the staircase and giving back the keys to the maid on the ground floor. Eventually Dandelion reached the main hall, covered in full moon's light. It added a beautiful effect to these marble collums.. The warm summer air coming from the entrence was blowing at her cheeks. She didn't want to leave this place so badly!

First tear was shred, after the first came the second, third, fourth.. she couldn't hold it anymore. Her entire life has collapsed, she had so many plans, but here, in the institute! How could she be so stupid?! Maybe if she didn't go on that party yesterday.. The girl ended up on the marble floor next to a fallen luggage, crying quietly. At least no one was here now to watch her downfall. No one, but...

She raised her ugly face covered in tears at the main entrance. Someone tall was slowly climbing the stairs. It was.. carrying something..? Someone!

With no much thinking, she stood up and ran to help, not even caring to wipe out the fresh tears, but the man fell down with his luggage in front of her as soon as he climbed the last step. Dandelion bend down to examine the two people. Now she recognized Nasus, but who the hell was the second man? All she could see in this light were tons of scales, which covered his body. _'Nasus? Answer me, what happened?!'_ The unpleasant smell of blood filled her nose. She kept jerking the canine twice big as her until he whispered: _'Call.. the nurse.'_ The girl nodded and rushed through the hall, her highheels cluttering among the whole room.

She finally reached the small hospital wing. Clenching her hands in the doorway she screamed with all the power in her lungs: _'HELP!'_

An elder woman recognized her and approached her in a matter of seconds. _'I'm not gonna listen to your pleas for help to get you back to your god damn job! Have some honor woman!'_ She spat with hatred. As she was about to return to her seat, Danelion roared at her, hitting the door with her wrist. _'FOR FUCK SAKE, THERE ARE TWO MEN IN THE HALLWAY WITH FATAL WOUNDS, THEY NEED HELP!'_ The woman looked at her, surprised and terrified at once, but she regained consciousness quickly and hit the red button in the desk.

A horrifyingly loud alarm resonated in the whole wing, deafening Dandelion for a couple of seconds. As she looked around, the elder woman disappeared. But suddenly she let out a strangled scream. The fresh red blood was dripping from the doorway and her hands. And it was not her blood. Nasus could bleed out to death any second...

A couple of other doctors missed her on their way to the doors. _'Please.. please.. please.. hold on..'_ She held her bloody fists next to her lips, praying silently.

* * *

 **Renekton**

All he remembered... a one big blur. Scenes mixing one with another in an endless cycle, various voices, some calm, some not. And over it all there was unspeakable pain. That was until his first memory sneaked into his brain. He held to it strongly until he woke up again.. or was the awakening first..? It didn't matter anyway, because there wasn't anything to remember except the white light, so different from warm shurimian sun. This one was rather.. unpleasant, snoopy. Like it was about to steal his last breath. Yet he kept holding on.

For the first time in ages he opened his eyes. _His own_ yellow eyes. But just as he realized that a wave of piercing soreness struck him. Renekton unleashed a horrifying scream. He never suffered like that in his entire life. He felt like everything inside him was about to get crunched, the lime walls started approaching, the white light exploded.. Someone yelled across the room.. A fami.. fam.. vo.. i..

Suddenly the pain vanished, but his consciousness aswell. Renekton fell into another deep sleep.

How much time he spent on lying there? He didn't know it. All his senses were deeply lulled, except his hearing. Unfortunatelly none of the voices lasted for long, they came, existed for a second or two, and were gone forever. He couldn't remember anything. Until that familiar voice appeared one day again.

' _Why you haven't told me earlier?!'_ It was full of anger and care at once. ' _You can not enter, you are still not stabilised!'_ A girly voice replied to the masculine low tone. ' _I don't care! I have to see him, no matter if you call the doctors or not!'_

An odd silence filled his ears after their argument. He almost thought he fell asleep again. Saddened, he started thinking whose voice it belonged to. But he wasn't given much time, because he heared it again. Or rather a heavy sigh..? Oh shit, he started sobbing.

' _Renny..? I'm.. I'm so sorry.. I could have rescued you earlier..'_ He knew this voice.. it gave him warm feelings.

' _Oh, what are you doing here?!'_ The masculine voice growled at someone. ' _People say that they hear us, even if they are in deep coma..'_ The girl said meakly and propably left the room, because he didn't hear her again. He felt sorry for her, he had a feeling she had good intentions, but that man treated her badly..

Not counting the small pain in his whole body, Renekton felt a warm touch around his hand. But he couldn't move an inch, he had no chance to answer the man's embrace. Suddenly, the voice broke the silence. _'Hey brother, You don't even know how hard it is here.'_

Brother..?

 _'And I feel.. such remorse for Lux.. but she is overprotective..!'_ Lux.. a nice name..

Without warning, a wave of information hit his brain. Finally, he started walking out of the smoke, connecting small puzzles into a picture, throwbacks from the past, familiar faces.. It was his brother... It was Nasus..!

Maybe it was a miracle, maybe just a weird exception of medicine, but a small burst of electricity woke up his hand, still in Nasus'es grasp, ticing unnaturally. The last thing he heared before falling asleep once more, was canine's thrilled gasp.

* * *

The white lamplight, which he got used to already, sneaked between his eyelids. The crocodile covered his face from the blinding source with his hand, it was way too... He moved his hand..! ..but all his muscles were like rusted.. oh man. He moaned, but his throat was dry as hell.

Eventually his sight gained sharpness. A blonde girl settled in a sofa in front of him was asleep, snoring quietly. Judging by her creased shirt and dirty hair, she must have been beside him for a pretty long time... Time.. how long was he in a coma..?

He lazily leaned on his elbows to take a closer look at the girl. She was hella pretty. And young, probably in her teens. A flock of blonde hair detached from the band and was covering part of her face. But as Renekton took a deep breath to feel finally alive, the girl woke up. She froze for a second when she noticed him fully awake, then gasped and quickly ran out of the room before he could even say _'Hi'._

He was left alone in a hospital room, full of appliances he had never seen before. Everything was unbelievably clean. Has medicine developed that well in.. wait. How long?

Someone knocked at the door and stepped in, not waiting for response. A tall girl with uncommon yellow hair stood in the entrence warmly smiled until a low voice behind her asked: _'How long are you going to block the way? Where is he?'_ It was not hiding excitement. And Renekton had a good feeling who it was.

It felt like the time has stopped. He, lying on the bed, and his brother in the doorway with cheerful sparkles in his eyes. Or were these.. tears?

The canine and the girl sat next to his bed, Nasus on the left, the woman on the right. A couple of seconds passed in silence, spent on looking into each others eyes. It was all he needed.

Brother hasn't changed much, just a couple of new scars, including one under his right eye, it looked pretty fresh..

Renekton couldn't help, but smile back and greet him. _'Hi, brother.'_ Now Nasus couldn't hold his tears, which started flowing like a river. They both started laughing from hapiness, but the canine couldn't resist and strongly pulled the crocodile to give a firm hug.

* * *

 **Dandelion**

 _After she and Nasus left the hospital wing, the canine asked:_ _ _'Found a job already?'__ _The girl slowly shook her head, saddening._ _ _'They said I do not meet their requirements. Fucktards.'__ _She summed up, spiting on the ground._

 _Nasus patted her on the shoulder and stated warmly:_ _ _'That's fine. You're staying here.'__

 _Dandelion froze in place and looked at him, not believing her ears._ _ _'Ya're joking, right?!'__ _She almost shouted at him. The canine couldn't help but laugh sincerely._ _ _'No, I'm not.'__ _He sent her a happy smile._ _ _'As a way to thank you for your help, I've had a talk with Trinket. I unfortunatelly couldn't convince him to let you stay in the operating squad.'__

 _She was not even sad because of such info. Actually that job was tiring as fuck._ _ _'So what compromise have you reached then?'__ _The girl asked, not hiding excitement._

 _Nasus hesitated for a second, but eventually revealed the truth._ _ _'They hired you back as a summoner.'__

 _Dandelion felt like she got hit by a shovel._ _ _'I know it's one of the most responsible jobs here, but I couldn't find anything else..'__ _But canine's voice wasn't reaching her. Duh, the hardest job in the whole institute! She just wondered why Trinket let her take it, since she proved her lazyness already. Also, one more important question remained now. She opened her lips to ask it, just to b-.._

 _ _'It's Renekton.'__ _Nasus stated calmly, looking at the entrance to the institute. The warm september sun kept heating the whole hall._ _ _'That's my only condition. Do you want to try?'__

 _She knew Nasus was not just politely asking. He needed her to protect his brother, and she needed the job._ _ _'Oh, course I will!'__ _She cheered and squeezed the giant canine from happiness, even though she never hugs people._

 _Nasus returned the embrace, mildly surprised, and asked something more in a serious tone._ _ _'Only promise me one more thing. Please try to explain everything to him as easily as possible. He is a good brother, he only needs someone to show him the new world.'__

 _The canine almost sounded like he was begging. Dandelion couldn't refuse to help! She nodded energically, unable to say anything more due to the amount of good news._

 _'Thank you.'_ _He said to her, sounding more sincere than she could imagine a being ever could._

 _ _'Well, I've got to prepare for my departure. Take care of him, I know you can!'__ _Nasus winked at her and turned around in the direction of the apartments._

 _ _'I will, don't worry!'__ _She smiled back and kept waving until he disappeared._

 _Well, shit. How is she going to make it? This was her last chance._

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Well, I'm still mad I'm not writing the way I should. But I'm making progress, as you can see! I'm happy to finally reveal my story to all of you. There should be some funny content in this section.. but I have no idea what to put. Lul._

* * *

 _Version 1.0: Finished 2017-03-14_

 _Version 1.0.1: Tiny fixes. 2017-07-03_


	2. 2: Unsteady

**Chapter Two** **  
Unsteady**

* * *

 _Author's notes:_

 _Fun fact: I always talk to myself in heroes' voices while writing or checking the story. It helps me feel the mood. Now that I wrote it, it looks really embarassing._

* * *

As Renekton was coming back from the gym to the hospital wing, he hummed a cheerful melody. His skin was recovering it's healthy, green color, even his strength was coming back again. But the best of all was absence of that wrathful voice in his head.

The doctors said he has to control his emotions, otherwise he may again become insane. No sadness or anger were allowed. But none of these were the problem, at least for now.

Walking through the heart of the Institute the reptile turned left into a corridor leading to a park to avoid any unnecesarry contacts with other champions. _'Ya have to follow summoners' advice, unless ya really wanna get into trouble, get it, Renekton?'_ She said.

But why? Why they didn't want him to make new friends? He didn't understand... _They_ didn't understand. He no longer was the beast he used to be, lusty for blood, searching for victims to slaughter. It all was the fault of that voice! But on the other hand, he owned them a favor. If not the summoners, he wouldn't even be here. If not Nasus.

Lack of his brother by his side made him feel lonely. If he won't share a word or two with anyone, he will eventually turn crazy, and that for sure was not what they want. _'One more friend will not start an apocalypse, will it?'_ He summed up, making a decision.

Skipping the porch, the reptile entered the small forest in the center of the park. There was a large Ionian cherry tree covered by some kind of strange grapevine, growing next to him. Renekton frowned. _'What was the park called?'_

Dandelion told him shortly about most important places in the League, but he didn't recall any parks. Duh, he has already forgotten half of the buildings. Nonetheless, it was a really beautiful place. He leaned against the tree.

A breathtaking view of waterfall cascades coming out of the southern wall caught his attention. They were falling quietly into a small stream, surrounded by sand hummocks and a couple of dead bushes. The water cut the whole place right through the center, until it disappeared on the north, in a tiny cave carved in an enormous glacier. Between the east and west entrance a stone path was leading into the forest of many trees. Renekton has never seen at least half of them. In the center, next to a big weeping willow on a meadow of forgetmenots, there was a small oak bridge in Ionian style, hanging over the water. The whole place was divided in five parts, four of them on each side and a circle in the center, by strangely-shaped stones radiating with blue energy. _'Summoners' magic...'_ he thought out loud.

Four directions and a center... wait, _directions_... it was all clear now, it was a grand compass! Actually Dandelion had said something about the compass park.. There must be a reason it gained such name.

Renekton walked the stone path and sat himself comfortably on the bridge. Using his arms as a support behind him, the crocodile put his toes into cold water. His nerves were pierced by icy streams, relaxing his body. It was priceless after tiring work out. The crocodile put off his sweaty t-shirt, which was way too tight, revealing his chest with a silver necklace and raised his head high to look at the cloudless sky.

 _'Where is Nasus?'_ Renekton sighed heavily just to inhale fresh air from the trees. He left him without leaving even a note. Two weeks had passed since his awakening and the canine's disappearance. Oh, how the crocodile wished he...

Wait, what was that? He turned in the direction of the sounds. It was a charming melody, sounding like a sweet anthem. It quickly distracted him from his thinkings, but he wasn't angry for anyone who played it. It was beautiful. He got up and walked to the source, somewhere in the western part, leaving a trail of wet footsteps on the wooden bridge.

He sneaked over to the tree, hiding behind a branch. There she was, a young woman in a blue dress with golden carvings. She was playing on a some sort of piano. But there were no keys... instead, she was pulling the strings. Her hair was dyed blue with yellow endings to match her suit. The hair was gently floating above her head, like it was enchanted with some magic. It was strong with her for sure.

But the girl's face was emotionless, or even sad, it didn't even look like she was focused on her song, because her sight was sticked at the waterfall.

Renekton was bending so far that eventually the branch of the tree couldn't hold him any longer. With a loud _crack_ he collapsed on the ground on his face, revealing himself in front of the woman. His screen got blank for a second. She _stopped playing_ and glanced at him, surprised. The crocodile tried to stand up, but his arms hurt even more than before. He gave it up, falling in the tall grass. All the _power_ he had _suddenly vanished_ and was replaced by pain again. He hit the soil really hard, almost swallowing the grass through his open mouth.

All of a sudden he got pulled up by a pair of small hands, yet strong enough to help him. He opened his eyelids to see two pretty blue eyes staring at him, but the vision was blurred. The woman looked worried. Struggling to find any words, he thanked her with a genuine smile. Taking a deep breath, the picture got sharper.

He sat himself comfortably on the bench next to a cherry tree and she perched on his left. Renekton started breathing heavily to calm his body. _'Th.. Thank you, lady...?'_ he asked for her name. But she didn't respond. He gazed at her, surprised. She was looking towards the bridge.

 _'Hey, what's your name?'_ he tried once again, this time patting her on her shoulder. She looked at him with her watery-blue eyes, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she pointed at her throat with her free hand with a sad expression painted on her face. _'Oh, shit...'_ The crocodile said quietly. He didn't expect that she didn't speak because she _couldn't._

Woman's hair dropped on her arms. It seemed like it was acting based on how she felt. _'I had no idea...'_ Renekton quickly apologized. ' _I really didn't want it to sound like that.'_ She just nodded, but the hair didn't move an inch. Again, she turned to stare at the cherry tree, taking a deep breath, laying her head on her hands. The conversation ended as fast as he fell down that tree.

 _'Your instrument... I've never seen one like that before.'_ The crocodile broke the silence, trying to get her attention once more. The virtuoso called the instrument with a gentle wave of her hand. It carefully layed down on her thighs. Everything apart of the strings was golden. It shined in the rays of midday sunlight, piercing through the leaves.

The woman stroke the strings, unleashing a happy melody. But this time Renekton didn't feel anything special. The girl touched him in his forearm and pointed at the water. He opened his jaw in surprise. It was moving in various directions, making whirlpools and firing up high, like it was under pressure, forming different shapes in the air. The fish were jumping around aswell, trying to fit in with the music. The trees were almost dancing. She had _full control_ over the nature. _'Magnificent...'_ Renekton whispered, complementing the virtuoso. She smiled widely, her cheeks painting pink, but she kept playing. Her hair was levitating again.

* * *

They sat like that for several minutes, admiring the beauty of the garden and enjoying the big show. But the calm scene was interrupted by an angry tone.

 _'Am I interrupting you two?!'_ The pair turned back too see a female summoner with blinding yellow hair approaching with quick steps. No, she wasn't angry. She was furious. _'Dandelion?'_ The crocodile didn't expect her today. He also didn't recall arraging any meetings, or did he miss something...?

 _'No, a fucking Santa Claus coming to kick your green butt!'_ The summoner spat sarcastically. The virtuoso kept changing her glance from her to Renekton and back again with her eyes widely open in disbelief. _'Ekhm...'_ Renekton cleared his throat. _'Dear Lady, let me introduce You my summoner...'_ He muttered, looking away at the river. It was tranquil once again.

Eventually Dandelion stopped several inches before them, covering the view on the stream. _'What are you doing here, I thought tha-OUGH!'_ Renekton roared from pain. A grey highheel has mercilessly striked in his left foot. _'What was that for?!'_ Renekton asked, frowning from pain, carefully touching the new purple wound. _'I've been WAITING half an hour for ya in the god damn hospital wing!'_ The woman kept staring at him with an angry look, her brows frowned. He grimaced from the pain again, slowly massaging the hurt leg. _'Ya were supposed to come back there right after the gym!_ Her angry tone has vanished and got replaced by a voice full of care. ' _Ya can't just walk all over the Institute like that! Ya are not back in the condition yet...!'_ Dandelion stopped her monologue in half of the sentence, not knowing what to add.

 _'Now You're talking like my mom used to, Dandelion!'_ Renekton joked, trying to brighten the mood of the conversation. The summoner got red on the face immediately. Suddenly, he heared a short serie of chords. It sounded like the virtuoso was laughing, using her instrument. It wasn't an evil laugh though, it was rather sweet, _innocent_.

 _'Nonetheless, hurry up, there is a lot of stuff to do today...'_ The woman continued, her cheeks still painted pink. But her focus changed onto the virtuoso, who played a calming melody and firmly spinned her instrument, unleashing green rays of light. They slowly floated to the crocodile, sinking into his wounded toe. After a couple of seconds, the pain vanished, and so the wound. Renekton was amazed by the girl's talent again. _'Thank you!'_ The summoner cut the magical moment. _'Excuse me, Sona, but we have to leave now. I'm sure if conditions meet, Ya will see each other again today!'_ She winked at the girl. Sona responded with a genuine smile and bowed for a goodbye.

' _Sona, so that is her name...'_ He thought to himself. It really fit her. He didn't have too much time to think of it as Dandelion firmly grabbed his hand and pulled in the direction of hospital wing. He waved with his free hand to the virtuoso. She did the same, still smiling.

The summoner noticed him glancing at the girl and hit him under his ribs to catch his attention. _'Oh come on! That's too much for today!'_ Renekton complained. Dandelion laughed and commented his behavior. _'Nasus would be jealous, don't ya think?'_

The crocodile's happy mood popped immediately like a baloon. He stopped for a while and looked into her eyes. _'I feel so alone...'_

The woman frowned, but made a compassioning face. _'Hey, don't even think of cryin' here!'_ She half-joked, hoping to cheer him up, and tried to hug him, but he strongly refused. It made him miss Nasus even more. Dandelion fixed her hair and stopped on patting his shoulder. _'Alright, but remember: You don't know aaanything.'_ _Renekton kept staring at her, waiting patiently for an answer._

 _Dandelion looked around if no one was passing by and sighed before revealing the secret._ _ _'He is in Demacia, at a very important arm conference as the Institute representative__ _, but he'll come back in two days.'_ _That wasn't enough for crocodile, though._ _ _'How did you fi-'__ _But Dandelion hushed him, closing his maw with her little handies._ _ _'Hush! You-don't-know-anything. They're gonna kill me if they find out I know such things!'__ Renekton quickly nodded, still unable to speak due to closed mouth.

 _The girl eventually loosened her grip and changed the topic._ _'But hey, ya aren't telling me that one woman can change your life, are ya?'_ She asked playfully, pointing at the virtuoso with her elbow. _'Sona? You kidding me? I just need some... friends.'_ Renekton let out a heavy sigh and continued their journey.

* * *

They entered the long stone corridor with no windows, it was much cooler and darker here than outside. _'But now, we need to move on to some more important shit.'_ Dandelion got serious. He mentally prepared himself for another rain of _do_ and _don't_ s.

 _'First of all, how many fucking times do I have to repeat, ya CAN'T show yaur weaknesses to everyone ya meet! Ya are aware that people running the Institute still think ya'r a monster, aren't ya? They have no idea 'bout the treatment! Ya have to at least ACT like a badass ya used to be!'_ Renekton stiffened. _'But..' 'No 'buts'.'_

The girl stopped and shook her head. _'I know it's hard, but that's how the things are working here, at least for now.'_ She looked into his yellow eyes. _'Listen, all I know is that they want to have a variety of champions here, each of them being different and unique. Just imagine, how would it look like if ya showed them that ya are a weakling, unable to harm a fuckin' fly?'_

She was right. He had to follow her advice, whether he liked it or not. But still, Renekton just couldn't understand why they wanted to leave a merciless reptile on a rampage in the League. Maybe they would keep him in a cage or something? That thought sent shivers down his spine. The crocodile nodded to show Dandelion he understood her preach. Guess it worked, because they continued the walk in silence until they reached the hospital.

Under the door Dandelion gasped. _'Oh shit, I almost forgot telling ya the most important!'_ The summoner suddenly changed her mood, her eyes were not hiding excitation. ' _What is it?'_ Renekton asked with no delight in his voice.

The summoner pulled out the letter with a red sigil of Institue of War in the center from her pocket and gave it to him, closing his paw with her hand. _'First, this is the letter from the headquarters.'_ The crocodile looked at the piece of paper, a bit surprised. Why would they contact him by the letter? Dandelion cleared her throat and continued. It looked like there is more bad news. _'Now the most exciting stuff. Ya have three hours for yaurself. At one PM come to the Summoning Wing. There ya will be given more instructions. I'll be waiting for ya, so please just don't walk all over the League and come in time, okay?'_

 _Dandelion_ crossed her arms and looked at him with a ' _you'd better do it'_ expression _. 'Wait, are you telling me I will be ON THE RIFT today?'_ He almost yelled at her from surprise. No, it couldn't be! He wasn't prepared for it...

The girl rolled her eyes and anwered simply. _'Yup. Exactly.'_ She shrugged her shoulders, like it was just _that_ easy. _'It's high time Renekton. The HQ wants progress, ya have to start practising...'_ The crocodile couldn't help but let out another loud sigh. _'Alright, alright. I'll be there.'_

For half a second he thught he saw a bit of compassion painted on Dandelion's face, but now she seemed to be glad of his decision. _'Great, see ya there!'_ She goodbyed him with a meek smile and walked away. _'And put somethin on yarself!~'_ She shouted from a distance.

He caught himself staring at the summoner's hair. It was flying under the blows of the wind, along with her creme cape. _'For fuck sake, stop it Renekton... Nasus is absent for a couple of days and you are already losing your mind!'_ He shook his head, trying to think about something else.

He reminded himself of the letter. The crocodile quickly investigated the yellow paper. It was never opened. While breaking the sigil, the craziest thoughts started worrying him. Maybe something bad happened? Was his brother alright? Well, no matter what it was, someone who has written it was really good at caligraphy.

 _'Greetings, Renekton.'_ The letter started like that. _'I am really glad to see You back in full potential, although it seems I'm one of the few who are happy to see how these events went.'_

Renekton frowned. He was no foe, he supposed. _'I'm not the only one running the business here, and so I can't prevent the rest of summoners wanting You to start participating in the League's games. To make the process faster, we already voted for releasing You from the hospital, because as doctors stated, Your condition got better since Your arrival. It's time to move You to Your new home._

 _From this moment You will have Your own room in the Shurimian Courtyard, lot 12, 86 square meters, 2 rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom all for Your own. I am afraid You still have no idea where all the places are, but fear not, just head south from the hospital until You will reach the sandstone fountain. It's the Courtyard. I hope You will like Your new place.'_

The crocodile was speechless. His own new flat! So the day wasn't lost, at least some good news have cheered him up. The letter was signed: _'Sincerely Yours, Baron Trinket.'_

 _'Trinket, huh?'_ He thought out loud raising his eyebrow. Renekton didn't know anyone with such a name for sure. Nonetheless, he was going to speak about him to Dandelion. She surely knew him.

He headed south, where his new home should have been located. He stepped into the main hall, in which he has never been before. Decorated with marble collums and drawings on the walls it made quite an impression on the reptile. The red carpet was leading from the main entrance to the Leagues headquarters, or so was it written over the door. Between these two there were four corridors, each of them leading to unknown. It all was covered by a beautiful glass ceiling, letting the sun shine through and bathe it all in it's rays.

Which way to go, though? No idea. He saw a group of people in purple cloaks under one of the pillars. These were the guys who 'did the paper job', so said Dandelion. All he knew was that they were not very open to others. One of them turned around to look at the crocodile, but he quickly came back to the talking. But there, in the entrance, a familiar figure appeared. It's golden armor was reflecting the beams of light right into his eyes, blidning Renekton.

A loud voice echoed among the whole room. _'Renekton? Is that you?'_ The Emperor laughed happily and walked to the crocodile, greeting him with a wide smile. _'Your majesty.'_ The crocodile knelt before him swiftly. _'No need for this, my old friend. The times have changed. And so we did.'_ Azir stated with a noticeable tone of nostalgia.

 _'What brings You here, Your... Azir?'_ Renekton bit his tongue. But the emperor's expression saddened. _'Well, I've got some stuff to do here. Our reports show that for now Xerath is licking his wounds in a safe city of Golatria. But we have to be prepared. I need more backup soldiers. But bad news aside, Shurima's almost back at full potential'_ he answered with excitation, pointing into one of the corridors. _'I bet you have no idea where are the flats, do you?'_ Azir asked, smiling. Renekton nodded, quite upset with his lack of knowledge, and surprised how did he... _'I can see Your thoughts, Renekton, you're not focused.'_ He gazed at him again. _'But not to worry, I heared you've just walked out of the hospital, right..?'_

Renekton followed Azir to the second passage on the left from the entrance, still amazed by his old-new ability. ' _I've heared what happened in the tomb...'_ The Emperor spoke a bit quieter so no one could hear them. _'But I want to ask you one question...'_ He turned to face him, and looked right into his eyes. _'What happened to Xerath? Has he changed in appearance, or did he..?'_

He shook his head, trying to remind himself of that moment, but nothing came up. _'I regained conciousness after I woke up here, all that was before is a big black hole. Sorry, Emperor, but I don't remember anything..'_

Azir patted him over his shoulder. _'That's fine, that's fine. I just.. still can't believe what happened back then, you know.'_ The emperor's eyes focused on something that Renekton couldn't reach. _'He was my loyal friend, at least I thought so. But he just betrayed me.'_ _The crocodile patted him politely on his shoulder._ _ _'This time you k__ _now you can't let him surprise you again.'_

Azir smirked meakly and continued the walk through hundrets of rooms the reptile had no clue about. Libraries, offices, even another gym! Renekton stopped to admire a couple of people exercising in front of him. Someone with a well-built torso smiled to him. He wondered if Nasus would be angry on him by just staring at...

 _'Renekton? Renekton!'_ Azir called him from the end of the corridor. _'Stop thinking about blue almonds!'_ Renekton came back on earth and caught up to him quickly. The eagle eyes kept looking at him, scolding him. _'What?'_ Renekton crossed his arms. Azir looked quite annoyed by his behaviour. His emperor-like personality remained untouched like a thousand years ago.

* * *

Eventually, the sun blinded Renekton and his old friend, greeting them on a grand square plaza carved in sandstone and dark wood. In the middle there was a charming fountain, decorated with dark blue crystals. A couple of sandstone paths aswell, some benches, even three palms somehow were growing here. On his left and on his right the stairs were connecting two floors, the second surrounded by wooden fence and poles, touching the ceiling. Azir's cough stopped him from further admiration. _'I'm a bit tight on time, so listen carefully, there's a couple of things you have to know...'_ Azir stopped, looking back into the corridor.

Suddenly, he pulled the crocodile under the ceiling, like he was afraid of someone. Hitting the hard stone, Renekton's air escaped his lungs rapidly. For a split second he even suspected him of something dirty... But it wasn't the end of Emperor's weird behaviour. He quickly went up the stairs, still not letting go of Renekton's paw. The crocodile barely managed to notice his carved name in the wooden door, through which they walked into a small, unfurnitured flat.

 _'What's going on Azir? Tell me now!'_ Renekton commanded with annoyed tone. The emperor, a bit surprised by his reaction, locked the door and turned around to face him, who was desperately expecting an answer.

 _'Look, Renekton, it's complicated.'_ He sighed heavily, propably trying to collect his words. Renekton leaned on the wooden collumn, still waiting patiently. _'You are not welcome here by some people.'_ Azir stated with a sad tone. _'But why?'_ Renekton asked immediately, feeling lost.

Why the hell part of them didn't want another champion here? First Dandelion, now Azir is telling him the same. _'Just listen.'_ Azir answered quickly. The crocodile nodded. _'When the gossips about the Tomb of Emperors turned out to be true, the whole League got crazy. Everyone was talking about it, and it's riches of course. The summoner senate decided to form a special group of people which task was to locate it and search the remains. Of course it was kept in secret, so no one would have known. They sent Sivir and Cassiopeia a couple of days later. What happened there, you know already. But the important thing is, they didn't expect You and me to be there! What Nasus did, was also irresponsible as hell. As he heared from his friend, a fellow member of the team, what happened, he immediately left the institute to find you.'_

He shook his head and hid it in his hands, unable to believe it. Silly Nassy!

Azir grunted to continue his monologue, ablushed a bit with his reaction. _'What you need to know is that Nasus luckily avoided a punishment for his behavior, but his friend wasn't that lucky, she got downgraded into a summoner, and she managed to become Your summoner though, the good news is. I guess You know already who she is.'_ Renekton smiled lightly.

 _'Nonetheless, as he dragged You to the Institute in the middle of the night, they immediately took you to the hospital. But then, the senate had another meeting and had a voting about You to stay here, or to even_ _ **decease**_ _you, some voices stated. It roughly hit 55% with 11 people voting for you to become a part of league.'_ The crocodile goggled in disbelief. Azir put his hand on his arm, trying to cheer him up, but Renekton was in total mess now.

What was going on..? How did Azir even got to know such things? But another question already formed up in his mind.

 _'You know why so many were against?'_ He asked in disbelief. The Emperor shook his head rapidly, saddened. _'The reason seems to be really simple – they are still afraid of You.'_ The reptile look at him, surprised. _'Wh.. what?_ Now he felt totally lost. Why? _'That therapy thing doesn't convince them. I strongly recommend You to go to the library and read some books, they can explain it better.'_ Azir smiled weakly, ready to turn around and go out.

 _'It's time for me, if You will need something, contact me only by Dandelion, okay?'_ He looked at him in the doorway. _'And try not to make any more foes than you already have, please.'_ Renekton was still trying to work out the mystery on his own. As he heared the door opening, he quickly asked: ' _Azir, wait! One more thing! Please...'_

Azir turned once more, with a questioning look. _'Yes, Renekton?'_

 _Renekton was still unsure if Dandelion told him the truth._ The crocodile looked down, questioning: _'Do you also know where Nasus is now?'_ Azir sighed again. _'No I do not, my friend. I don't know... But what I know for sure is that I wanna check out the cantene, Nasus said there are some tasty seeds.. hm...'_ Saying that he left his apartment, closing the door with a soft click, leaving the reptile alone in his new home.

* * *

He took a quick look around the flat. A medium-sized room was connecting three smaller ones: a tiny hall, white bathroom and a kitchen doorstep above all. All unfurnitured. The whole place was so gloomy without any objects. He was never good at designing the indoors, Nasus decorated their old villa. This is going to take ages!

But he reminded himself of Azir's advice. Renekton quickly took the keys hanging in the door and shut them, taking a route to Library, which he missed on their way here. This time the gym was empty, no one to admire there, what a pity. His thoughts focused on finding the library, it was somewhere between the main hall and the courtyard.. There!

The large doors were wide open, showing the huge room filled with bookshelves. The familiar smell of paper filled his nose. It reminded him of Shurimian Library, where he and his brother served once upon a time.

He entered and stepped into the circle pattern on the floor in the middle. The library had four floors, each of them holding even more countless tomes. The ceiling was decorated with beautiful crystal glass. Moreover, he could see the golden models of solar system hanger mid-air between him and the roof. Another huge window was letting in tons of sun rays. Whole place was a well done combination of stone walls and wooden storeys, shelves, collumns, and panels.

Renekton could notice summoners here and there, he decided to ask one of them for help. As he approached the one in red robes, the man goggled when he noticed him. He looked terrified. _'S'cuse me, sir, when can I find Shurimian records?'_ The crocodile asked as nicely as he could. The summoner shuddered and pointed up. _'Second floor, row G.'_ He answered coldly, sending shivers down Renekton's spine. Second after, he disappeared in another row of books.

Was it that what was Azir talking about?

He took the old elevator to the second floor, as the man has indicated him to go. The sounds of wodden machine cogs operating the machine which was lazily going up filled Renekton with warm feeling of old times for a good reason.

The row was not that far from the elevator, so at least he won't get lost. He looked at the wide bookshelf on his right – the 'Row G' was written on the dusty sign on it. ' _Where can I find the history of shurima...'_ he whispered to himself, looking at hundreds of tomes. Suddenly, an old book slowly hovered to his direction from the shelf, landing quietly in his paws. _'Magic, huh?'_ He asked the library, which had it's own life, it seemed. He leaned against the opposite row and slowly opened the book. The red cover was all in dust, and the pages were yellow, but he managed to find the chapter he was interested in, titled ' _The Ascended'_.

What he read next, made his face change colour from green to pale in seconds.

* * *

 _"Renekton, a former Shurima's gratest general and leader of countless wars and victories. Under Emperor Azir's reign he expanded the borders of the homeland by almost 300%, taking all lands on the south under control, excluding Yordle Lands. (…) From early years, Renekton was a violent child, but under his brother's care, he grew up to be the grand general after many years in army, to which he was taken because of his crimes and behaviour. (…) After stepping into the light as a sacrifice for his brother, the Sun Disc ascended him aswell. But some said that last parts of Renekton's humanity were gone with the ritual. Due to his furious nature, he has tried to kill the emperor and citizens, propably falling into Xerath's trap, driving him crazy to betray and steal other Ascendants' powers, but Renekton has been captured. He is being entombed beneath the desert in the ancient catacombs to this day. The scientists say that if he didn't lose his mind, he and brother would propably save the empire from falling."_

* * *

He closed the book rapidly with heavy heart. Why would anyone lie like this? An anonymous person has destroyed his reputation in a couple of lines in a single book! The tome came back to it's place so quietly that Renekton hasn't even noticed. He clenched his paws and firmly punched the row of books. The shelf tremoured from the hit's strengh. ' _It's all wrong! They know nothing.. how I saved them, how I sacrificed.. how I..'_ He kept whispering between heavy sobs.

 _'It's because some people have no light in their heart. They can't love.'_ A high voice softly answered on his left. He quickly wiped the tear from his right eye and turned to see the woman in blue leggins and light, white shirt, revealing the belly. Her hair was golden, and she was wearing a headband. _'But –_ she continued – _there are still people worth trusting, and these are the ones worth keeping.'_ She finished her statement in a light tone, smiling widely to the crocodile. _'Guess we met before?'_ Renekton asked carefully, trying to remind himself if he has seen her in the past.

And there he was, one and only brother, holding him by his hand. And after he woke up from the coma, there was the girl sitting on the chair in the corner of the post-operative room.

The girl gasped in surprise, and smiled even wider than Renekton thought it could be possible. _'Ooooh, so You remember! I knew You did! I've seen Your eyes looking at me when You were still lying in the hospital!'_ She came closer to him, reaching out her hand. _'I'm Luxanna, but call me Lux, all my friends call me like that.'_ She introduced herself, waving with her free hand. _'Renekton.'_ The crocodile answered shortly, shaking hands. But the girl spoke once again. Does she always talk so much?, he thought.

 _'Shall we go out... I mean... go for a walk..?'_ Lux blushed, facepalming herself. Renekton smirked, driving away the heavy clouds of the book. _'Pleeease, we have so much stuff to talk about!'_ She looked really excited for that walk, so he didn't let her wait any longer. _'Sure, where do You want to go?'_ The girl quickly grasped his hand and rushed towards exit. In the meantime she yelled happily: _'To the local Astral Grove, how about that?'_ Renekton had no idea what that place was, and where it was, but he accepted her proposition letting out simple _'uhuh'._ He has never met anyone that full of life!

* * *

The Grove was slightly smaller than The Compass and was completely designed in Ionian style. They sat in front of the round fountain in the center, looking into each other's eyes. Lux's blue and his monster yellow. He found her a bit adorable.. at least her eyes told him she is worth trusting.

 _'You know what happened in the tomb?'_ The blonde asked simply, like she was about to talk about the weather. _'Uh.. not exactly, to be honest.'_ Renekton confessed, feeling a bit stupid, because he never bothered to ask anyone about it.

 _'Hey, me neither! Until recently.'_ Renekton raised his eyebrow questioningly.

Renekton opened his mouth, hesitating. _'I... Well, I don't know where to start...'_ He smirked to the blonde. She smiled back and replied. _'That's fine, I can start!'_ She reached for his paws and held them firmly. _'I've been your brother's friend for a long time, since I joined the League, if I remember, like five years ago? Damn, time flies... Anyways, I've heared You were dismissed from the hospital and were given a new flat, so I headed to find You but I saw You were going to the library, and I decided to follow You, and here I am!'_ Lux said it all with one breath.

She sighed and looked at their hands, grasped together. She smelled like cherries. _'I was confused too when I first read that book, You know?'_ Renekton looked down at their hands aswell. The girl was wearing a ring with small aquamarine. _'But who and why would do this? It doesn't make any sense to me to falsify the history...'_ Renekton responded, his voice almost disappearing at the end. _'Renny, can I call You like that?'_ Lux didn't even wait for his response. _'I have no idea who could have done that, but I know who can help us find it out.'_ Renekton's eyes sparkled, hearing about the news. _'But we don't have time for that today. I know that they want You to go on the Rift today, is it true?'_

Her expression changed to serious instantly. Renekton nodded, sighing. _'I'm afraid, Lux. What is it? I have never seen it before.'_ He confessed. The thought of going alone on the strange tides made him shiver in fear.

Lux squeezed his hands saying: _'Words cannot describe the whole experience, but I can tell You two things: -_ Renekton straightened – _I'm going to sneak into the training with You.'_ The crocodile let out the air in relief, at least someone was going to help him there. _'Aaand, I'm sure You are going to like it sooner or later. It's fun!'_ The blonde tried to convince him as well as she could, but that news didn't cheer him up that much. _'Dandelion will show You the basics, and the rest will go swimmingly.'_ She smiled beautifully, patting him in the shoulder.

Renekton looked at the fountain. The light was collapsing in the water streams, creating small, cute rainbows. He reminded himself of something, he hoped the girl could help him in this case. But it could also wait.

Another thought showed up, hesitating he asked in curious tone: _'What had Nasus told you about me?'_ Lux made a naughty smile and whispered into his ear: _'Everything.'_ Renekton looked at her in surprise, feeling a bit uncomfortable. She continued: _'I know your real story, how you and brother saved Runeterra, your virtues and flaws.. and.. -_ Renekton gulped – _what kind of bond links you with him.'_ She finished, smiling and raising her head high with _'deal with it'_ expression.

The reptile was left speechless by her one sentence. _'So you know it all, there is not much I can tell you now, I'm afraid.'_ He admitted, chuckling. _'Actually, there's one thing I'd like to ask You..' –_ she stoppped, looking into his eyes. _'_ _I'm listening, Lux.'_ He added, encouraging her to speak up. _'You know, I never asked Nasus about it, but I hope you will understand, it's just my curiosity..'_ Renekton found out now she was really shy, but he let her question him. _'Umm... How did it happen...'_ \- Renekton frowned, not sure what she had on thought. _'Yes?'_ He asked. Lux eventually collected the words: _'I mean, you and Nasus are biological brothers, right? What prompted you to try_ _ **it**_ _?'_

The crocodile let out a long _'Hmmm...'._ Her sky-blue eyes were impatiently expecting an aswer. _'Well, I think it was my 'fault'.'_ He smiled, reminding himself of that situation. _'I can't believe you haven't asked Nasus about it yet, though!'_ He chuckled, really surprised that such question was given to him.

Lux was still looking expectangly. _'Anyways, since we were young kids we were sleeping in one bed. Because poverty. Nasus is two years older than me, in case you didn't know.'_ _Lux nodded, course she knew!_ _'Everytime we went to sleep, he used to kiss me in the forehead like our mother used to, saying: Goodnight, brother.'_ Now as he said it, it sounded really embarassing.

Lux giggled. _'Oh how, sweet is that!'_ Renekton looked at her, annoyed. _'Sorry, continue, I'm listening.'_ The girl apologised quickly, seeing his reaction. _'Once upon a time I came back home completely devastated and angry, because one girl, who was my small crush, didn't accept my feelings. But you know what? I'm fucking happy that it happened.'_ He winked to the blonde, and she smiled back. _'What was next? Pleeease tell me!'_ She was really curious, it seemed.

 _'Very well, he kissed me again that night and turned to sleep, I was sleeping on the left, Nasus on the right side of the bed. Then something hit me, I've noticed it several times before, all those pretty women were disrupting me from the one being. I've always found him so brave, so.. thoughtful, full of.. care about me... What else I had to lose? He was my brother, so I was sure he would have understood if I said something wrong, right?'_ Lux nodded again, listening carefully. Her eyes were sparkling.

Renekton sighed, relaxing with good but a little cringy at once memories. _'I silently shifted, embracing him from the back, around his hips, you know.'_ Renekton tried to show it, trying to reach air with his hand. _'He slowly turned around, asking: "What is it brother?". But the next thing I did was what he had definetelly not expected. I whispered: "You know, she wasn't worth my time." And then I swiftly moved to kiss him. Right. On. His lips.'_

Lux cheeks got red, but it looked like she didn't even notice it, she was so focused on his story. Renekton looked at the fountain once again before girl's phone started vibrating. She woke up immediately and reached for it with a swift move. She sighed cheerfully and put the device down.

 _'It's 12.50. We've got to go.. but please tell me what he said! It's so exciting!'_ The crocodile saw brother's surprised expression painted on his face once more in his thoughts. He smiled lightly.

* * *

They got up and started walking lazily in the Summoning Wing's direction. _'Then he said something I didn't expect aswell. He asked: "Renekton?" I've tried to answer, terrified: "I.. I'm sorry..", but he hushed me putting his finger on my lips. He said: "I had no idea... - his voice was really serious, so I thought he didn't like it at all, it hurt him or something, but he ended - ...you can kiss so well..." The relief was huge, god. "You don't have to be sorry – he whispered. I could hear his heavy breathing, he was struggling so hard with that! You know, because it turned out that he was first who actually liked me that way. - ..just don't let our parents know." He finished his sentence and pecked me for goodnight once again, but the next day it was more than that.. When we were getting undressed, he...'_

He had to end his passionate story there, because they have arrived to the Summoning Wing. Lux looked at him, saddened. Was he really that nervous she noticed it? He shrugged. _'Come, lets introduce You to some people..'_ She whispered and embraced him by his hand. He wanted to tell her that it's not a good idea, but something held him back the moment she grasped him. They walked into the canteen on the left, next to the teleporting room. Renekton noticed the crème cape blinking somewhere between the huge computers.

The canteen itself was rather big, but was cramped with tens of dining tables. On Renekton's right was the row of fridges filled with various soups, meat, bread, buns and so on. But he was too stressed to eat. The crocodile felt the girl's hand motion. _'Hi guys!~ Look who I brought today!'_ She yelled enthusiastically to bunch of people. Actually, they were not all human. _'Glad to see You here, Renekton.'_ Azir greeted him with firm shake of a hand. _'And You, young miss.'_ Lux answered with a smirk.

The Virtuoso walked out from the corner, bowing in front of him, he mirrored the bow with a genuine smile. He was glad she was there for some reason.

But there was also a man with a mask, sitting in the shadow, rotating his pistol and humming a melody. He slowly stood up, stopping the gun rapidly as he ended the song. His mask was hiding all of his face but not the hazel eyes.

 _'I will make You famous. Ready for Your premiere?'_ He asked, laughing histerically. _'Khada Jhin, the Virtuoso.'_ He introduced himself, bowing unnaturally. Sona sent him the look full of hatred. _'Weeeeirdoooo!'_ Renekton thought to himself.

* * *

 _'Never judge the book by it's cover, Renekton.'_ Nasus said, blowing the dust, putting another old tome on the bookshelf. He walked down the ladder and turned in his direction, grasping his arms. _'You should know it.'_

Another memory showed up, more recent: „ _Ya have to at least ACT like a badass ya used to be!"_ Yeah, he has to hold on to this one.

* * *

 _'Renekton?'_ Lux questioned once again. He chuckled. _'Sorry, I was thinking about something.., hahah..'_ _'Places, please!'_ Jhin called them all. She sent the crocodile a friendly smile and pulled him to the table to sit with the rest of the team. But the crocodile noticed Azir kept looking at him with a pensive expression painted on his face. He knew he has also seen his flashback.

They started their meal, but he still felt no hunger. _'Renekton!'_ Azir called him, throwing an apple. He caugh it mid-flight, making the crowd awe in surprise. _'Thanks.'_ He answered shortly and bit the fruit in the middle. Azir nodded.

As he consumed the small, but tasty meal, he asked: ' _So, guys, how does it look like?' How does it feel like?'_ Lux giggled, Sona smiled politely, Azir smirked. But Jhin remained silent, counting his ammo. _'Just listen to Dandelion, Renny.'_ Lux answered, amused. ' _When she tells you to stand on the teleport platform, stand on it, when she tells you to go dive under their fountain..' '-do it?'_ Renekton finished, trying to hit the spot.

But how he missed, the whole table laughed out loud. _'Th..then... -_ Lux tried to say something through the tears of laughter _\- ...then you should know she either has a crazy plan, or is out of her mind! Don't worry, you will learn over time.'_ She finished eating her orange and winked to him, still smiling.

Several minutes passed on talking until two summoners walked into the room. One of them was Dandelion, but the second..? She was taller than his friend, but had shorter, a bit wavy brown hair falling on her shoulders. Half-round black glasses were decorating her pretty face. Long nose, simple lips, no make-up whatsover, and these deep, brown eyes, that were sparkling lively even though there was no light source nearby. The woman was in her teens, under twenty, Renekton supposed, and was wearing simple gray robe, same for the skirt, but with silver clasp. Her wavy shirt was expressing her breasts perfectly, and the deep blue colour matched the rest wonderfully, at least in his opinion. A pair of dog tags was swinging happily from her neck.

 _'Say hello to Isabelle!'_ The girl introdued herself, waving hands energetically. Thank god her voice wasn't so high as Lux's. Thinking of which, she stood up and ran to the girl in a split second. _'Hiiiiii sweetie, my summie girl!'_ She yelled and hugged Isabelle, who looked like she was going to throw out her intestines in a moment. _'Hey Luxie!, Hey, hey..._ gasp.. _could you..?'_

Finally she was free of her bear grasp, trying to catch her breath. Dandelion giggled and changed her focus onto the new formed team. _'So, ya guys ready?'_ Renekton cleared his throat: _'Guess so, what choice do we have?'_ The blonde winked. _'Right. Come, it's time..!'_ She yelled to the wall, already walking out of the canteen. They followed to the Summoning Chamber, the room that was filled with tons of technology.

Half-way through the hall Renekton saw another five humanoid figures in the distance that just walked into the wing. _'Luxy, who are they?'_ He whispered to her ear. She slowly turned her head, trying to look like she is not looking in their way.

 _'Hmmm... the tall one is Darius, a Noxian former general, the, hihi, fat one frog-like, that is Tahm Kench, but I have no idea where is he from... the woman with long hair, the star scepter and goat legs is Soraka, the rumour has it she was once the starchild living in the real Astral Grove...'_

But Jhin cut her mid-sentence: _'Soraka's greatest performance has already been played, hmph, not a good actress anyway...'_ It seemed he was going to replace Lux in introducing new people. _'The man with dark skin in gray cape, Lucian Parvarotti, nothing exceptional, tragic story, revenge, chasing ghosts. How droll.'_ He added sarcastically.

 _'But the last one –_ Jhin gasped – _now that is an actress worth picking up to our spectacle. Orianna Reveck, the biggest invention of a crazy piltoverian.'_ Renekton focused on the humanoid robot, she, or it... was astonishingly beautiful. Perfectly carved. But the longer he kept looking, the more painful it was going to be. Her sad, but empty expression, it reminded him of a body without a soul.

 _'They say Colin loved her above all else, but as he kept replacing failing parts of body, he eventually had to replace her heart.'_ Lux added, her voice breaking down. _'A perfect material for a scenario, isn't it? -_ Jhin laughed, propably smiling under the mask - _Let's say for an opera, oh yes! I saw her dancing once...'_ And so he went back to humming his strange melody.

Renekton looked at Lux, who seemed to be angry, because the Virtuoso stole her show. The reptile pulled out his tongue and squinted, banging his head with his paw. She giggled, not bothering about Khada anymore. Eventually they walked into the room.

 _'Why are they running?'_ Orianna asked after them, but nobody heared her voice.

* * *

 _'Alright guys, come on over!'_ Isabelle called them to the round table in the center and pressed several buttons. A 3D map appeared in front of them with a silent _'bzzt'._ Renekton hasn't even noticed when Dandelion embraced him from the left.

 _'I'm worried about Ya. Try yar best 'kay?'_ The girl softly whispered into his ear, patting him in the ribs. The crocodile slowly nodded, stressed aswell. He spoke to her, almost not moving his lips: _'Why there are no other summoners?'_ She smiled, propably glad he asked her the question. _'Answer is simple – your teammates don't need help anymore, but Isabelle is there with me to teach me, she is ma friend and Lux's summoner. There are many more important things to do for the summoners than the battle training VR, though.'_

She looked closely on the map, so did Renekton. Dandelion pointed at the shiny blue crystal. _'See? That's yar nexus, there is theirs. Destroy the turrets on yar way to their base and slay enemies ya meet. Easy isn't it?'_ Renekton sighed. Easy to say, not so easy to do though. Something inside his stomach was growing big and heavy. Was he able to do it..?

 _'So, because we have a new teammate to teach how the things work in here, we are going to take it as usual, classic, no modifications today. A simple deathmatch. Once You die, there's no coming back. Is that clear?'_ Isabelle asked energetically. _'Yes, I'll show them the way. Join me, and be elevated!'_ Azir yelled, turning around and going to the teleport pads. Everyone followed.

The second he stepped on the iron platform a headset appeared on his head. _'Tzzt. Tzzt. Can Ya hear me?'_ He could recognize Dandelion's distorted voice between the cracks. _'Not that well, tho.'_ He answered, looking at her in the other corner of the room. The girl nodded. _'Tzzt. Better now?' 'Yup, a lot.'_ Dandelion smiled, and gave Isabelle a sign. She nodded, writing something on the keyboard, taking her time, key after key. And then, in front of him, it appeared. It's blade was shining in the led lights on which it was placed. Somehow they managed to find his weapon. He reached for it, excited.

* * *

He touched the tip of the hand.

Blood, slaughter, carnage, a thousand bodies beneath him, another city conquered. He pulled his blade out of the king's throat, letting him drown in his own blood and pain. Another battle was over, but that was not the end of the war...

* * *

He slided his finger over the blade.

The buildings were falling into dust. They ran into the tomb, fighting the mage, struggling to take a breath. He noticed a dark tunnel with no end. He rushed for the traitor. Hurled himself with him into the darkness. Unspeakable pain, darkness. And. _The_ _ **voice**_ _._

 _ **'AFRAID OF YOURSELF?!'**_

* * *

He screamed, falling back from the weapon, tripping over his tail and collapsing on the ground heavily. His body began sweating. The room was so quiet he could hear his heavy breathing and faster heartbeat crystal clear.

Someone else also screamed, but his picture lost sharpness. Having no idea what was going on around him, he sensed the quick footsteps, gentle grasp of a tiny hand, light hair falling on his face and the strong scent of sweet cherries. _'You alright, Renny?'_ He slowly stood up with Lux's help. Everyone was looking at him, surprised.

What a shame, he got scared of a fucking memory! But that wasn't enough. A cold, short laugh reached him from the entrance.

 _'Poor crocodile won't even get through a battle training, maybe you need brother's help?'_ The tall man spatted sarcastically. _'Oh wait, the lil' girl will always help the poor disables. Or...'_ But the girl didn't let him finish his sentence. She was already right in front of him, aiming her wand in his chestplate. Her eyes were errupting with light, so was her weapon, ready to fire.

 _'Lux, NO! Put that down!'_ Isabelle begged. Her eyes lost the dangerous shine a bit. She spat her words furiously: _'One more word Darius and I. Will. Fire.'_ The man stepped back. _'But on the rift, lil' girl. On the rift.'_ He winked at her, smiling once free of the danger.

Lux turned and rushed to the platform, mamring under her nose: _'Dickhead.'_ Renekton was speechless, he thought she does never swear. And why did she get so angry? For some reason she cared so much for him, even though she knows him just for a couple of days. Nonetheless, he was glad he had her at his side, not against.

He stepped on the pad, firmly grabbing his weapon. A familiar feel of excitement eventually flew in his veins. _'Let's do it.'_ He said to the speaker attatched to his headset. _'Renekton. Just remember.'_ Renekton turned to see Dandelion's worried expression, a rare view. _'Remember that all that happens there is not real. Okay?'_ He smiled to her, trying to encourage her and himself. _'I will. We can do it.'_ Dandelion smiled back.

Isabelle's voice resonated in his ears: _'Starting up the VR. Preparing pads. Calm yourselves, launching in ten.. nine.. eight..'_

 _'I'm not ready, not yet...'_ The reptile started a battle in his mind.

 _'...seven.. six.. five..'_

 _'What if something goes even worse than here? „Calm yourselves"_ _well that fucking helped..'_

 _'...four.. three.. two..'_

 _'What choice do I have? Gods help me..'_

 _'...one. Launching!'_

It was like going through a wide tunnel of light in high speed for a couple of seconds. He kept his eyes closed, it was way too bright here. And then, Renekton felt warm blows of the wind on his face. Wait, wind? He opened his eyes.

* * *

They were standing of a small platform in an enormous fortress of cobblestone. Five gates, so called nexus, five turrets inside, and two guarding the lanes in north, north-east and east. A couple of trees, fauna, and flora scaterred around. The weather was sunny and warm. A perfect day for grand first defeat.

 _'Welcome on the Rift. How do ya feel?'_ A familiar voice spoke to him again. _'Could be worse..'_ He answered, still admiring the battlefield. _'Mmkay, good. Well then, walk up to the shopkeeper, I'll buy ya starting items. They will help ya significantly in the game.'_

The game. So that's how they call the bloodshed? Anyways, he approached the old yordle half asleep, lying on the huge mammouth. But he woke up as he saw new client. _'Good day!'_ He greeted him happily. _'...for carnage.'_ The crocodile answered meekly. He felt a small surge of power. _'I got the sword. Head north now.'_

Renekton followed the instructions servantly. It was calm, at least for now. The rest went on the other lanes, Lux smiling, rotating her wand, Sona encouraged them with valoring melody, Jhin rushed, still humming his song. It was getting annoying.

But what was next? Renekton passed the inner turret. _'Three simple advices for ya. One. Kill the small enemy creeps. Two. Kill enemies. Three. Don't get killed.'_ The reptile smiled. _'Don't get killed. Alright.'_

He went a bit further to take a look at enemy turret. He felt excited for the match. A good feeling. Under the red building he saw the beautiful machine, playing with ball which was just like her, made of metal with golden carvings. Her head turned around 180 degrees, leaving her body turned the other way. Renekton cringed, but not because of the weird way her body was set. It was the emotionless expression. A _dead_ expression.

 _'I know what makes You tick.'_ She stated with inhuman voice, pitched at the moments where it was not supposed to be like. Her body eventually turned around, her ball quickly rushed in Renekton's direction. He quickly dashed left to prevent the collision. _'I know how to make the ticking stop. Hah. Hah. Hah.'_

Renekton was terrified of the humanoid. What the fuck was that? _'She can be scarry at times.'_ Dandelion responded to his thoughts. Were they connected that well they could read each other's thoughts? ' _Yep, exactly_.'

Alright... ' _And I can tell ya that with a little bit of practise we can work wonders together.'_ He felt her emotions. Excitement, adrenaline, happiness, stress. Pretty similar to his.

The first wave of minions approached, so he rushed to kill them. First strikes felt odd, but a few tries later he was back at condition. Almost like the old days at army.. man how long has it been since he last fought..?

The robot was throwing gears into the creeps. Where did she take them out from..? But something weird was happening. The excitement was still there, but he was getting impatient, ready to throw himself into the close fight with the machine. Dandelion felt it too, for sure... _'Careful. And I ain't talkin' 'bout taking damage.'_ He breathed heavily. Alright. He kept killing the monsters.

But a loud scream pierced his ears like a dagger. And he knew for sure whose voice it was. He dashed through the minions like a thunderbolt and rushed down the river. Renekton threw his blade underneath and collapsed on it heavily, letting the stream carry him at high speed. He thought he was going to crash into the tallgrass, but he just passed it like a _ghost_.

 _'Got yar back, Rene. Now hurry!'_ The crocodile jumped out of the brush. He quickly scanned the area around him, still mid-air. There she was. Lux was desperately trying to run away from Darius, but he was already raising his axe, ready to cut the girl in half. She tripped over a rock on her way, collapsing on the sand. He roared furiously, landing over the mage. As the axe blade almost reached her head, it got blocked by his, cracling loudly.

The juggernaut gazed at him, surprised by the quick reaction. But Lux was already on her feet. _'Hold him!'_ she yelled. Renekton tossed him over on the ground, blocking him with the edge. A missile of light ran in their direction. _'NOW!'_ He cut Darius' stomach with a swift blow and tumbled away in last moment. Seconds after his corpse diminished into gray fire. Renekton sighed deeply, helping the blonde stand up, still breathing heavily. _'None too soon, eh?'_ He asked, smiling. _'Yeah, thank you!'_ She winked at him and sent a brief hug before she disappeared in blue rays, heading back to base.

* * *

The mid game went rather calm. A couple of destroyed turrets here and there, Azir got killed despite Sona's best. But there was something that kept troubling him. A rising heat, like a fever, deep inside. The rage. Killing minions wasn't enough now. Renekton wanted to slay someone. Immediately. The reptile lurked in the bushes, waiting for his pray. The blood was pumping loudly in his ears. _'Renekton..?'_ He heared Dandelion worried tone. He felt her fear. But he didn't care.

And then, the lifeless beauteous engine that was meant to act like a human appeared. But before she could even send her ball into his hiding place, he dashed right into her, cutting her through the chest in swift three strikes and cutting her head off. The metal fell on the ground loudly, breaking the silence. The whole skeleton flew apart to pieces, unleashing Orianna's last cryout.

Sona and Jhin finally reached the carnage site. Renekton was on the ground, breathing heavily, trembling in fury that was finally diminishing. ' _How the fuck does it work? What's wrong with me..?'_ He thought to himself, feeling the cold sweat on his forehead. Sona looked terrified, switching her look between him and Orianna. But Jhin laughed maniacly, helping him stand up.

 _'Breathe in the athmosphere..'_ He spoke up, pointing at Orianna's corpse, slowly disappearing like Darius' did. And so Jhin was gone in the grass again. Sona healed him a bit, but that didn't help much.

 _'That's too much for Ya. We're done for today.'_ Dandelion spoke up, feeling his emotions. _'But we can't.'_ Isabelle responded, making him sweat again. _'What tha actual fuck it means?'_ He felt her growing anger mixed with fear. _'I'm sorry, but I'm not able to shut it down, we have to wait until they end it...'_ The soulbound sighed heavily at the same time. _'Don't get into trouble.'_ he heared her thoughts. _'Alright..'_

But his promise was put to the test as soon as he went back to base. Sona was calling for help. Hearing her instrument and Jhin's anger ( _'No way you will shut down my background music!')_ , he mindlessly rushed down to help them. And then he saw Lucian trying to chase her down, unleashing a torrent of shots at exhausted woman. _'Renekton, DON'T!'_ Dandelion yelled, almost deafening him. No way Sona was going to die like that.

The fury he felt was twice as much it was in that brush. Everything got blurred, he only heared his blood once again. He jumped on the man, even though he tried to dash away. And he started stabbing him once, twice, thrice... _'YOU_ _ **CANNOT ESCAPE ME.'**_ The voice took control over. Lucian was screaming in fear and agony.

' _Renekton!'_ a girl yelled far away...

 _ **'FEELS GOOD TO BE BACK.'**_ A ray of light blinded him.

He lost conciousness.

* * *

 _Author's notes:_

 _Feels good to be back. Exactly._

 _As I said, I've decided to write it chronogically, I think it will be less complicated. But don't think I didn't do anything in that time._

 _Sorry for not writing sooner, but I've lost my luck somewhere in ordinary life._

 _But don't think I didn't do anything with my favorite couple while sunbathing on the beach! No, no.. I eventually know what to do in which chapter, I've set an exact plan. Well. Stay tuned? :D_

 _I hope next chapter won't take me half a goddamn year!_

 _~Synder_

* * *

 _Version 1.0: Finished 2016-08-24_

 _Version 1.0.1: Fixed typos, added several sentences to enrich the text. 2016-08-31_

 _Version 1.0.2: Minor plot changes, clarity fixes, cut non-important trash. 2016-09-14_

 _Version 1.1.0: Typos and unfitting content fixed. Prepared for the rest of the chapters. 2016-10-05_

 _Version 1.1.1: Tiny fixes. More trash cut out. 2016-12-23_

 _Version 1.2.0: Adapted visuals, small fixes to the text. Ready for launch. 2017-03-14_

 _Version 1.2.1: Tiny cuts 'n' fixes. 2017-04-04_


	3. 5: Back to You (Incomplete)

**Chapter Four** **  
Back to You  
**

* * *

 _Author's notes:_

 _Besides wishing You enjoying this very first chapter I've ever written, I need to tell You that I've decided not to mess up the order of the chapters. Let's say that this one is just an introduction, and there will be prequels to this episode (chpt IV, duh)._

 _If You will encounter any mistakes or You would like to write me a couple of words about my work, feel free to leave a comment! :)_

 _I know that some people don't like lemons, so I will warn You when it starts and ends, so it will be easy to skip and not miss important parts of the story, or worse, end up throwing up on your screen. ;-;_

 _And yes, English is not my main language. ;_;_

 _Always check my profile for my fanfiction updates!_

 _Update changes are presented at the end of the story. In case You wondered. Happy reading!_

* * *

A quarter past midnight. It was the time. He felt excited, yet thrilled. He felt so many emotions at once, but at the same time he felt uncomfortable, like a large stone dropped into his stomach and didn't want to move. ' _What if something will go wrong_?' He asked himself again. He didn't want to lose him again after such a long parting.

A loud knock at the door swept away Renekton's thoughts. His heart skipped a beat. His breath quickened. Every muscle got paralyzed. But he knew it was too late to fall back now. The crocodile got up and slowly walked up to the door. His hand reached it's knob. He took a deep breath. _'Just. Pull. The. Goddamn. Door!'_ He scolded himself in his mind.

A soft click and the door opened.

 _'Hey, RenektoaaaAAAAH!'_ rest of the girl's voice dressed in a pinkish pijama has turned into a loud scream. Her eyes were looking at him, full of surprise. To be more exact, she was looking at his lower half. The crocodile looked there too and jumped in place, terrified. _'Oh, fuck.'_ He whispered, blushing.

He was naked. He totally forgot that he didn't put anything on after the shower.

 _'Oh Weaver, Lux, I apologize!'_ He started to calm down the blonde. Her eyes were widely opened, so was her mouth. What was even worse, she kept looking at his genitals.

Renekton quickly rushed into his bathroom and grabbed nearest towel lying on a pile of dirty clothes next to the door. Covering his lower half he came back to the entrance. Lux was still there, with her hand on her face. Her cheeks were painted crimson red. Not only hers though.

 _'I... I...'_ Lux tried to say something, but again she hasn't finished her thought. Renekton felt so dumb and embarrassed, so he tried to redeem himself in her eyes. He cleared his throat. _'Eh... I've just came out of the shower, couldn't find a towel in time...'_ The Lady of Luminosity raised her eyebrow. Snap, he had just found one and put it on himself... It felt like his stupidity exceeded his abilities. _'Just don't think about it, please?'_ He asked as politely as he could. Lux didn't answer, probably because she was still shocked. The crocodile made one last attempt to start a normal conversation. _'Hey, why don't you come in?'_ The beautiful girl hesitated. He walked out into the Shurimian courtyard and trembled because of the freezing temperature. _'It's so cold out there! You must be freezing!'_ She shook her head rapidly. _'So what is it?'_ He was starting to lose patience, but he tried his best not to show it.

After a short uncomfortable silence and sounds of the wind blowing around, Lux has finally spoken. _'I.. I just wanted to tell you, that I really enjoyed playing with you in the same team today.'_ She tried to smile, but it didn't work out well, she let out a grimace. Renekton smirked and let the girl continue. _'You were so brave! That action under the tower... magnificent. You really caught my attention, the way you fight, the way.. ju.. just the way you are, I.. I mean, it was all better than the last time, hahah!'_ Her eyes looked down, like she thought that she said more than she wanted to. She cleared her throat and continued. _'And so... And so I made up my mind and I also wanted to ask you, if... you would like to come to the party I'm gonna throw this Sunday...'_ Her voice was getting more and more quiet. He has never seen her biting her tongue so many times in one sentence, she seemed really nervous. But that didn't bother him that much, he felt like he just got ran over by a train.

A girl, a demacian girl, has invited him for a party! Moreover, it looked like she liked him more than he thought. Thousands of thoughts started banging in his head. What should he do? He felt the cold sweat running down his forehead. She was looking in his eyes again, expecting an answer. ' _Damn it, I may not get any more chances to make any friends here..._ ' He thought to himself. He tried to make a friendly smile, but unfortunately, Renekton just showed her all of his sharp teeth. The blonde gulped loudly. He replaced it with a apologizing smirk as soon as he noticed she got frightened.

 _'Uh.. Sure, I wasn't going to do anything interesting this weekend, thanks for asking..!'_ Lux's eyes illuminated with thousands of colours. Renekton has never seen so many at once. She made a high-pitched sound, able to wake up the whole courtyard, and started jumping in place. _'YAAAAS, THANK YOUUU!'_ And then she made something he would not expect. She jumped on him and hugged with all the joy she had. His eyes crack opened. It felt strange, yet familiar, and... good.

The crocodile looked at her, confused. Immediately, she dropped herself on the ground and made a polite smile. Fixing her hair, she said. _'I mean, I'm glad you accepted my invitation.'_

After a second, they both bursted out laughing. She was laughing so beautifuly...

Suddenly, Lux's phone started vibrating. She put it out and gasped. _'Oh snap, I've gotta come back now, thanks once again!'_ She smiled cheerfully and started walking in the direction of the Demacian part of Institute, at least he thought it was there..? _'You're welcome!'_ He answered, as she turned back. He felt like HE should be thankful she went out with such a proposition...

As he was waving her goodbye, he asked her. _'Hey, just... don't tell anyone what happened okay?'_ Lux frowned, it looked like she forgot what happened just a moment ago... But then she reminded herself of the situation, letting out a loud _'Oooohhh!'_ and chuckling. The girl turned back to answer him. _'Don't worry, that's going to be our little secret. Friends do have secrets, don't they?'_ She winked at him and smiled. As he was just having a sigh of relief, she ran back and whispered into his ear: _'It's gorgeous!'_

The sounds of footsteps echoed among the whole courtyard. He slowly turned back and shut the door. He collapsed on the floor immediately, his back slowly going down, shivering the acacia pole. He covered his face with his hands, slowly exhaling the air.

 _'_ _What should I do?_ '

* * *

The handmade spruce clock was slowly reaching one a.m. But Renekton was still lying on the cool hard ground, trying to tidy up the mess in his head.

He exactly knew his feelings towards Nasus. But when it came to Lux... He could already see the disappointment painted on her cute face while facing the truth behind him. Still, there was something that caught his attention, for some reason he couldn't just walk past her like he did with other girls. Her style of being, her odd sense of humor, her smile... It all made his thoughts of her not to get out of his head. Did he feel something to that girl? He wasn't so sure of that. But he couldn't leave Nasus. Why did he even think about that? No way. They have already lived through so many things... Unfortunately, he was sure that the moment to tell the girl the truth will eventually come, sooner or later. But he really didn't want to hurt her. He just had to hope that she will accept the facts, if she has to face them. What if he convinced her just to be friends? But how? If only he could get some...

Another knock at the door made him stand up in half a second.

...advice...?

Again, the crocodile felt his heart beat faster. The breath was getting out of his control. Slowly, he reached to open them again.

The familiar silhouette appeared in front of him. _'Brother!'_ The crocodile welcomed Nasus. The tall dog-like creature smiled and hugged him. His warm embrace immediately swept away Renekton's thoughts and replaced them with warm feeling of safety. _'Oh, Renekton!'_ Nasus's deep and calm voice echoed in the whole room. _'Sorry for being so late, I had a talk with my summoner...'_ The crocodile answered happily. _'You can't even imagine how happy I am right now because of you.'_ Renekton greeted him, whispering softly into his fluffy ear. After breaking the hug, he asked. _'Come, have a seat'._ The canine locked the door and sat on the bed next to him.

 _'I see you are feeling well in your new room.'_ Stated Nasus, starting the conversation, while putting his shiny chestplate on the floor. Then he set himself comfortably next to his brother, stretching his legs. Doing so, he drew crocodile's attention. ' _Damn, he is hot... Nothing changed, perfect as he always used to be..._ ' he thought. Renekton turned his head to look at the clock to calm down his excitation. _'Uhuh.'_ He confessed, answering brother's comment. _'Take a look at this...'_ He pointed at the clock. The canine changed his focus onto it. The moment he recognized it, he let out a loud sound of surprise. _'No, it can't be...'_ He said still in shock. Renekton chuckled sadly. _'I wanted my room to remind me of home, and to make it my new home._ _That's a long story, but nonetheless, here it is.'_ He pointed at the clock. _'You travelled to Shurima?_ _They let you go?'_ Nasus was surprised. _'But I thought there was nothing left..._ _I've been there a couple of times and every time I came back with nothing...'_ he stated _._ _'No, course they didn't!'_ He chuckled again, reminding himself of the situation. _'Anyways, that's one of the few things that remained at the ruins of our courtyard.'_ He added, finishing his monologue with a sad tone. For some reason, he didn't feel like telling his brother how he got the clock. Nasus didn't respond, probably still thinking about all he has just heard.

He was glad that the brother has seen the clock. The charming golden sparrow at the top of it just came out to sing the hour quietly. It was a beautiful melody... Kind of lullaby saved on a music box, strange, but still stunning, happy, yet saddening at the same moment. It just reminded him of home.

Nasus reached for his hand and held it strongly. The warmth of his paw, it gave Renekton a good feeling of safety. _'You know, from the outside you always seem to be an emotionless reptile with no warm feelings to anyone...'_ He said, smiling. Nasus's words sunk deeply into the crocodile, waking him up from his memories of their old life. He turned his stare from the bird to look at him. _'You know I have to...'_ He answered meekly. That was summoners' only condition, if he wanted to stay here.

Brother was damn right. But anytime he was alone with Nasus, he always turned out to be weak and full of emotions in front of him... He gived him such warm feelings... And now Lux...

Their eyes met together. He felt like his beautiful deep chocolate eyes have already seen through his soul and read all the problems bothering him. No matter what he had to hide, he couldn't do that before him. And even after such a long parting he wasn't mistaken. Nasus almost immediately asked him. _'Is something bothering you?'_ He seemed to be really worried about him. The crocodile gulped and started to share his problem. _'Listen...'_

Slowly, Nasus started diminishing the space between them. He was already only in his underwear. Renekton tried to resist from letting his feelings get unleashed but he got betrayed by a stream of blood coming out of his left nosehole. _'I.. I don't know what to do...'_ he confessed, but Nasus was coming closer and closer, smirking. _'Don't worry, I've got a cure...'_ Their eyes met again. His tool was rising up, he couldn't stop it anymore. _'Oh, fuck it. I'll tell you later.'_ Renekton changed his mind and jumped onto Nasus with his towel falling off him.

* * *

 _ **Lemon warning!**_

* * *

The canine was caught offguard, his breath pumped out of his lungs with a loud ' _ough_ ' sound. He fell on Renekton's pillows in the corner of the bed. After brief recovery, Nasus asked playfully, gasping. _'Starting so unexpectedly, eh?'_ The crocodile let himself show a flirty smirk and started crawling over his body, his hands gently touching his muscled chest. Finally they were together. Finally, they were alone. Finally, they could do whatever they wanted and no one could stop them.

He felt something was pushing his left leg. He countered brother's question by a question. _'Already hard, I feel?'_ Nasus looked at him, still smiling. _'I'm sure you're the same.'_ Renekton couldn't help but chuckle. He was right again. It's been so long since they two had sex. Too long. Renekton came closer to his face, so only he could hear him, even if there were only them in the room. _'I want you, I desire you...'_ He whispered. Brother embraced him around his hips. _'Fuck me.'_ He commanded.

That's what he was waiting for.

He gently kissed him in his nipple. Then the neck. At last his lips. The canine let out a loud gasp. He was enjoying it. His tongue crack opened canine's mouth and entered. Brother's strong paws moved. One kept holding the crocodile in his waist. His right hand reached for his dick. While Renekton was infiltrating Nasus's jaw, their poles met each other, though canine's was still covered by black boxers. They had to be pulled off. Now.

The crocodile broke the kiss and went back down his chest, breathing in fresh air mixed with brother's sweat and his blood. Nasus had to let go of his tool. He growled, not pleased with the change. But another lick in the nipple made him let out more moans. His nose was moving right down canine's belly, leaving a red path from the nosebleed, until he stopped at his underwear. He has almost forgotten how it is to feel pleasured, to feel safe in brother's arms, to spend these exciting moments together again. He took a look at the fur that was partially covered by his boxers. _'Let's see what do you have here, shall we?'_ He asked laying his hand on canine's tool. As he did it, he felt it jump a little. Nasus didn't say anything, he just agreed by helping his hand put off the soft material.

His cock was already fully erected, the fluids were slowly dripping down his muscled thighs, making the fur change colour to darker shade of brown. He commented. _'Still marvelous...'_ Nasus laughed, pleased with his reaction. _'I knew you'd like it.'_ Renekton bend down gingerly to reach the cock. He started sucking passionately and slowly. The canine began breathing heavily, letting out a serie of spasms. The crocodile felt the bittersweet pre ejaculation fluid fill his mouth, warm and tasty. Nasus started moving his lower part to match the tempo of Renekton's sucking, moaning louder and louder. His hands grabbed tight edges of the bed, his fingers merging into the white mattress.

He switched to his hand to do the job, so he could catch his breath again. While he was making circles, pulls and pushes, Nasus commented between gasps. _'You know, hmph, I have to admit that, mmph, there is no one in this world who can do this stuff as good as you...'_ His voice faded as Renekton made another strong push.

The juicy meat kept making squirming sounds until the canine set himself on his elbows. Renekton could see in his brown eyes that he has done a good job, although he hasn't finished it yet. Brother took a deep, calming breath. His body was trembling, he surely was fighting with climax. Once he calmed himself, he asked with a weak smile. _'Hey, lemme try my best to turn you in, okay?'_ Renekton looked at him, surprised. _'You're so close, don't you want to finish first?'_ The canine sighed heavily. _'Oh brother, why are you making everything more complicated?'_ The crocodile stopped rubbing brother's meat and lapped heavily next to him, whispering a soft _'Thank you'_ in his ear kissing it.

Nasus knelt before the crocodile and had a look at his cock. His hand was trembling. He wasn't doing it in a long time. Renekton chuckled. _'You forgot how to do it, big brother?'_ Nasus looked at him, annoyed. _'Just lemme remind myself, okay?'_ _'Okay boss, I'm not complaining.'_ He smiled widely. _'Just please me.'_ He added, closing his eyes. It was his turn to relax.

Unawares, he felt his legs being firmly pulled up by pair of strong paws. His butt raised along, uncovering his hole. The legs got spread by Nasus's knees. He opened his eyes, confused. _'Brother, what are you doing?'_ But the canine didn't respond. He tried to stand up, but his arms were blocked by brother's hands. He couldn't move an inch. He was under Nasus's full control. And he was about to get raped. He tricked him! The canine noticed his reaction and laughed loudly. _'Don't worry, little brother, I promise you're gonna enjoy it._ _You wanted me to please you, right..?'_

He felt something big and wet entering his butt. It hurt. Renekton had to close his eyes again because of the pain, spreading over entire body. He couldn't stop himself from moaning. His dick got grabbed and pulled back and forth. The crocodile felt Nasus's face next to his. His breath was blowing at his cheeks. _'I'm so sorry.'_ Nasus said with voice full of irony. _'I just have to try your body again...'_ As he said he pushed harder. Renekton roared from the pain, but suddenly he realized he was enjoying it. Pain was slowly fading until it got fully replaced with excitation.

But Renekton couldn't let him dominate just like that! He had to do something fast...

He tried to rise up again, but all he achieved was brother's paws embracing his arms even harder. He was too strong, and the arms started hurting at the places he was being held. It hurt... of course..!

With a swift strike, he managed to reach Nasus's left shoulder and bit him with his teeth. The canine gasped, as the red stream of blood started dripping on crocodile's chest. Nasus shut his eyes and whispered greedily. _'More... more!'_ He repeated a bit louder. Renekton got stunned from his reaction. _'Wh..what?'_ He asked in disbelief. He opened his chocolate eyes again. They were investigating the wound, his tongue started licking the fluid. _'I loved it.'_ He stated between licks. _'Please give me more...'_

Something has definitely changed since they last meeting in bed. Not only Nasus got a new fetish, but also the crocodile already felt exhausted. He felt the hot sweat on his skin, pouring down his body on the bed, which got wet from the mix of it and other fluids. As he looked at Nasus, his fur was getting darker and darker shade because of the sweat too. _'Come on brother, do it for me...'_ Nasus begged, pushing his tool even deeper into his ass. It was so good. Renekton moaned and grasped brother's arms, clutching his nails into his muscles.

The canine frowned. His pushes were getting more and more rapid. His hands were trembling. The sweat was dripping on Renekton. He felt his breath on the face. All that Nasus said between the pushes was _'I'm... almost... there...'_ Renekton's claws went so deep into his arms that the blood started flowing out. With the one last effort, Nasus gasped and pushed.

Renekton felt his brother's sperm burst inside. It felt so damn well... He was getting close too. The excitation he had never experienced so much spread over his entire body. Canine's cum was dripping out his butt, covering his tail in sticky fluid. It was too much. Eventually, Nasus pulled out his dick from Renekton's butt and collapsed heavily on his thighs. With the rest of power he had, he reached his hand for crocodile's cock and put it in his mouth, sucking deep with greed, moaning loudly. Renekton roared. _'I... can't stop it...!'_ It was the end of the road. He had to let it go.

Nasus grasped his dick even firmer and pulled it in deeper, letting crocodile's cum go into his throat. Slowly, as their excitation faded, he was pulling it out, letting it touch all the parts of his jaw. In the end, he gently said goodbye to it, by licking it and leaving a passionate kiss on the tip.

* * *

 ** _Lemon end!_**

* * *

Now, Renekton felt really exhausted. But still, he was pleased, and he hoped Nasus was too. _'Looks like we both fell of condition?'_ He asked, trying to catch his breath. His brother was breathing heavily too. He felt canine's chest moving on his body along with the fast heartbeat. The pain was striking his bottom again, but now it was a constant ache rather than the one that was every push Nasus made. The canine collapsed on his chest and sighed. _'I'm... I'm... exhausted.'_ Said Nasus, his voice was fading. Renekton patted him on his head. _'I know, I am aswell...'_ He whispered, kissing his wet forehead.

After a small break, he tried to gently push his brother away to stand up, but Nasus stopped him, holding him in a hug around his waist. _'Can we stay like that?'_ He asked quietly. _'Please.'_ He added, whispering. Renekton reached for his bedsheet and covered them both carefully. He moved Nasus higher, that his head could lay on his chest, and came closer, so he could have one last look in his chocolate eyes before falling asleep. _'Sure.'_ He agreed, leaving a peck on canine's nose.

Now he knew it. There was no one in Runeterra who he could love more than his only brother. And now, they were together again, he was sane and safe, like it used to be. And he didn't care what people think. It was just between them. The sparrow on the clock came out to start singing its lullaby...

* * *

 **Update changes:**

 _Original Version 1.0: Published 2016-01-16_

 _Update 1.1.0: Fixed minor font problems; Changed Lux's quotes to fit more to her personality (minor change); Changed description of quotes for clarity. 2016-01-18_

 _Update 1.1.1: Updated Author's notes; Story will be published chronogically; Changed the title of fanfiction from Codename: Shurima's Legacy. 2016-02-03_

 _Update 1.1.2: Updated Author's notes and chapter name to fit the rest of the story. 2016-08-24_

 _Update 1.2.0: Adjusted some statements to fit with previous chapters. Fixed minor grammatical mistakes. 2016-10-04_


	4. S1: White Christmas

**Holiday Special  
** **White Christmas**

 **Renekton**

 _Knock, knock. Knock, knock. 'Just five more minutes, please!'_ Renekton yelled at the door, his eyes still closed. God, why does Nasus always have to wake up so early..? The crocodile couldn't help but yawn and hold tighter to the pillow, which looked like it could explode any second.

 _Knock, knock._ Mildly annoyed, he opened his left eye and glanced at wooden door. _'Oh come on, I've said..!'_ Renekton paused in half of his complaint, because knocking was not coming from the living room. The little sparrow in the window has been trying to have his attention all this time. But as he tried to stand up it flew away.

The crocodile was still too tired to start thinking properly. Reminding himself of the strange dream he had this night, he came closer to the window, laying his hands on the sill. It was a good dream, they were laying in the bed, he and Nasus.. ..and Lux. He covered his face with hands. It was sick and impossible!

Renekton looked at the landscape, trying to escape the visions, with no success, because the courtyard was covered in fresh snow, which only led to one thing in his fucked up dream. He gave up and let himself for a moment of guilty pleasure, re-enjoying every moment he remembered, until he realized it led him to a boner.

Embarrassed and angry with his fantasies he looked at the clock. It was later than he thought, it was almost twelv-.. _'For fucks sake, calm down already!'_ He punched his cock, but it amusingly bounced back like a spring.

Unable to find any way out of this situation, pissed off Renekton decided to leave the room. Eventually something other than sex appeared in his head. Now he thought he really needed a watch. Maybe a silver one to match his dog tags..? Visualizing various variations of the new piece of equipment he made himself a bowl of cereals and turned on the TV.

While eating he finally noticed something off place. Nasus was not here. By this time Renekton couldn't have missed a sound from the bathroom. And today it was all quiet, not counting the Journal of Justice news report. Where could his brother have been?

He tried to recall if Nasus told him anything yesterday about leaving early the following morning, but nothing came to his mind. But he remembered he talked about something important with Lux yesterday.. but what was it..?

The spoon fell in the milk with a loud bang. _'It's Christmas Eve.'_ Renekton repeated his thought blankly. And they had wanted to meet at.. _'Holy shit.'_ The crocodile whispered and rushed back to the sleep room. _'..At twelve hundred.. sh.. sh.. shit..'_ He kept cursing while searching for boxers. He had a quarter to smarten up and reach the main hall.

He took a fresh black pair to cover his lower half and froze in front of the mirror. Looking half droll half kinky with the trunks hanging pitifully next to his groin he raised his shoulder to sniff it. _'Not as bad as I thought.'_ He said to himself grabbing a deodorant, using probably too much of it, as usual. He really should take a bath though.. but he couldn't let a lady wait for him! That would be unkind. Finally he reached for yesterday's black hoodie and thick trousers and he left the flat.

 _'H-holy s-sh-shit!'_ Renekton shivered. It was much warmer yesterday! He wasn't sure if the weather has gotten that worse so quickly naturally or thanks to the summoners. The crocodile quickly closed the door and rushed down the stairs, constantly rubbing his hands against the arms to keep the warmth.

Not to anyone's surprise, the Institute was almost empty, not counting several doctors and other workers. Even Dandelion was absent, but she promised to be back for today's christmas dinner. Plus the case of presents had been already solved, she just buys wine and he makes dinner. As usual, he passed the gym. It looked overwhelmingly strange while closed, along with lights turned off. At least the library was always open if anybody had nothing to do with their lives.

There she was, dressed in a cute white down jacket with fluffy hood and light-blue cap to match her eyes. Either she was admiring the valley in the full beauty of winter morning or thinking about something really engrossing, because she kept staring in that direction. That was until he covered her tiny face just with his one hand. Her body froze for a split second, until she let out a long: _'Umm... Renekton? Renny!'_

The crocodile couldn't help but smile. _'The green paws got me, or what?'_ Lux spinned around to face him and give a warm hug, until she got squished even tighter by the reptile. _'Brohug_ _! Hahahah!'_ But he stopped as soon as her face started turning blue like her hat. _'Gasp.. uh.. no.. not your.. paws..'_ Renekton patted her firmly in the shoulder, but he couldn't hide his laughter. _'Sorry 'bout that!'_

When Lux finally checked if her ribs are safe and sound and she was able to speak, she continued: _'It's the perfume that's gets you. Every time.'_ Renekton felt a bit flummoxed. _'Like, it's that terrible..?'_ Lux exploded with laughter and approached uncomfortably close to his chest, grasping the hoodie with her tiny handies and slowly inhaling his scent. _'Hmph.. not at all I guess.'_ He answered himself.

She could be too intimate at times, though. _'Luxy, is something wrong?'_ He changed his tone immediately, seeing her not letting go of the strange hug.

After a short while she raised her head and backed off an inch or two. For a second her never-ending smile was absent. _'I'll tell you later, okay? But come on, it's xmas and all you had in your wardrobe was a black hoodie?'_ She complained with a salty tone, looking at his clothes with contempt. But before Renekton was able to form up a response she preceded him with a cheerful expression. _'No way you're going to stay black at xmas time, I'll find you something real cool today!'_ The crocodile opened his mouth to protest, but again she was faster. _'No 'noes'. Obey me or I will... Umm...'_

Finally the crocodile took over the conversation. _'Or you will what? You're too kind to do some shit to me, you know it!'_ Lux tried to find a riposte and raised her finger, but with no success. Annoyed, she turned around and left the building, until she stopped at the stairs. _'You're going or not?'_ She asked proudly with a glimpse of smile hidden behind her sour face.

Renekton couldn't help but chuckle and followed her down to the maze of short buildings. She suddenly turned around putting her finger up again. _'Or I will buy you a pink tracksuit..!'_

* * *

After they defeated the army of stairs the girl and the crocodile stopped for a while. Renekton had a moment to look at the town from a different angle when Lux was taken up with searching for a purse.

Fresh snow was lazily falling from the open part of the cave, covering the rooftops, now shining in winter sun. Most of the buildings were decorated in holiday lamps and evergreen twigs, a new pop remix of christmas carol peeled from the nearest ajar window. He was surrounded by countless people chatting and babbling about presents and other christmas stuff. It all created that magical atmosphere. Even the sexshop had some holiday outfits on discount.

 _'Come out, come out, wherever you are.. Oh I got it!'_ The girl started dangling her purse, grinning from ear to ear. _'So... what would you like to buy, Renny?'_ Renekton came back on Earth immediately. _'Actually.. I have no idea.'_ Lux waved her hand and showed the nearest clothing shop. _'Okay then, I'm sure you will figure something out when I'll be searching for my stuff. You know, you can't disappoint Nasus when he's doing the same!'_

The moment they both realized what she had said it was too late. Renekton balked immediately and Lux covered her mouth with free hand like it would stop her already finished sentence. _'So you knew it all along!'_ The crocodile mildly frowned. _'Don't be angry, it was meant to be a surprise! I didn't want to babble it out! It was not my..'_ The blonde started explaining that rapidly that he couldn't catch up what she had on thought anymore. Renekton couldn't help but laugh sincerely and squeezed the girl. _'Ugh, I suck.'_ Lux spit out the last sentence and burned in shame. _'I'm sure I'll not tell him that you told me, chill Luxy.'_ And he sent her a warm smile, but she started turning pale again. _'Th.. thanks. But..gasp.. could you let me go?'_

 _'How about this one, huh?'_ The blonde walked out of the changing room for the twentieth time, now in sensual red dress. _'Uhuh, go for it.'_ Renekton answered flatly, focused on what he should buy. But nothing came. _'Guess you're right, I love it.'_ Lux stated and went back to undress. For a split second he had a wonderful view on her lacy underwear. Dirty dreams invaded again, but this time he was ready to resist the.. wait.. He turned around to have a look on the street. There it was, on the other side. _Dirty Dreams._

 _'Lux?'_ The crocodile called for the blonde when she started walking in his direction after paying and thanking sincerely to the cashier. _'What is it? You've got an idea for the present?'_ Renekton pointed at the door. _'Kay, let's go..?'_ She followed obediently until the cold wind struck them. He double checked if anyone is not close enough to hear them. _'Why are you so nervous?'_ Lux's face got serious, ready for the worst to be heard. _'I'd like to buy something.. something.. in..'_ He goggled in the obvious direction.

The worst reaction that Lux could possibly show just met the reality. _'Oooooh, you should have told me that you wanted to buy him something in the local sex shop! They have_ _awesome_ _dil-'_ Renekton managed to put his hand on her mouth just in time. _'SHHH! Are you fucking serious? People are looking at me now..!'_

Lux turned her head around, a pair of teenagers was suffocating from laughter a few meters away, and some grandma shook her head in disapproval. She just shook her arms like she said nothing. _'But what's wrong with sex to-'_ Renekton again had to close her gob, making big eyes. _'Let's just go in..!'_ He gave up and quickly rushed to the shop, covered with shame and pulling the poor blonde after him. _'Sorry..?'_ She quickly added before disappearing in the red doors.

* * *

The rest of the holiday shopping went rather uneventfully on groceries and even more clothes for the girl, excluding the moment when the crocodile managed to make Lux get consumed by newest hot G-strings collection and a sales clerk, who was mildly saying the exact opposite of how Renekton has called the underwear. Having some free time he quickly jumped into the jewellery section. But before he could even take a look another shop assistant rose next to him like a ghost. _'Are you looking for anything specific, sir?'_ An old fart with typical artistic moustache spoke with annoying noble accent. He has almost forgotten how fucking frustrating it is.

But the man hit the point: he had no idea what piece of adornment Lux would like. _'Umm..'_ He focused on what she usually wore. Necklaces? Nay. Clasps? Nah! Earrings? Actually..

 _'Yeah, I wanna buy some earrings for my.. -_ Not knowing why, Renekton's throat stopped halfway the sentence. She was his frien- - _girlfriend.'_ The elder man smiled more to himself rather than to the client. _'I see. Any specific product or wishes?'_ And then Renekton noticed a pair of tiny square golden-white dots at the very top of the shelf. _'That pair, on the pedestal!'_

* * *

Funny how he managed to find such a perfect present so fast. He was damn sure she's gonna like it. On the other hand, he was broke as hell, these earrings cost him a ton, and the paycheck was coming only on 28th.. _'You got all you wanted?'_ He asked with a wide smile, probably too wide, because she grinned amusingly when she saw him as she walked out of the shop. _'Yes, I see you did too. From that smile.'_ She added, smiling back. Renekton amicably embraced her with his free arm around her shoulder and marched back to the institute.

A couple of minutes passed and they finally had to split up upon reaching Lux's Demacian District. _'You really can not enter? Come on, just for a minute..!'_ Lux tried to convince him, but she knew too that it was impossible for him to get in there without getting busted. _'Sorry Luxy, "de lege ferenda", you know it.'_ Lux made a balled up look, making him question her: _'What, they don't teach you Latin anymore?'_ The blonde shook her head rapidly, looking like it could drop off her neck in any moment. _'Well, it means: the law as it should be. But nevermind, you said you wanted to talk, but hadn't shared a word about that at the shopping. What is it?'_ He asked with real concern in his voice.

She trudged with her left leg through the concrete forward and back a couple of times like she was thinking if she wanted to say something or not. She started shyly: _'You know, I am going to play today in the Old Town for the charity concert like every year.. for the village and for the institute, and I was thinking.. was thinking.._ -Renekton encouraged her to finish with a smirk. - _if you would like to come and watch_ _as well_ _. Eighteen hundred, next to the Main Hall.'_ Coughing that up she took a deep breath, seemingly glad she made it.

 _'I didn't even know that you play on something! Is that a guitar? Can you sing? Or maybe a piano?'_ Lux cheered up in an instant. _'Piano. -_ She let herself release a tiny grin. - _And they say I can sing a little..'_ Renekton was on the top of the world. _'No way! I've been looking for someone to sing with me to my guitar since I.. since Nasus brought me here.'_ His enthusiasm popped like a balloon.

An uncomfortable silence filled their lungs, making air hard to breathe in. It was Lux who broke it: _'So.. would you like to listen?'_

No matter how much he wanted to, he had to refuse. _'I'm so sorry Lux, I can't be there at 6, I have an appointment with Dandelion already, plus I'm waiting for Nasus.. you know..'_ The light in her eyes faded as fast as it appeared. _'Oh.. I understand.'_ It made Renekton feel instantly sorry. But did he have any other choice? _'Hey gurl! -_ He raised her chin with his thumb so their eyes met. - _Don't think I'm not gonna see it from my window! Have you forgotten that I have a quite awesome view on the village from there? Plus –_ he raised his hand and pulled the forefinger up – _You can be sure you're gonna meet me before the concert.'_ The last promise gave her a ray of hope, as he expected. Guess that worked, because she even joked: _'Just try to not come and I'll cut off your precious privates.'_

Having said that, she reached up high to hug her huge friend for goodbye and left to her part of the institute, leaving him with a sincere smile. She could be kind, but it couldn't stop her from sending joking threats from time to time...

* * *

Another two hours passed for Renekton on taking a long shower, wrapping up the present for Lux (luckily Nasus had some spare decorative paper left from Thanksgiving Day) and watching TV half-naked, being too lazy to finish up changing clothes. He kept looking though on the time on the big screen, to be on time for Lux at the backstage. When the time eventually came, the indolent reptile put up the same hoodie and left the flat.

People around were running like crazy, some with speakers, others talking on phones, even someone was practising ballet on the half-finished stage. Was it Ori-.. _'Oh you actually came! How awesome!'_ Lux greeted him from the distance, waving with her free hand, holding sheet papers in other, and her everlasting white grin. And man! She was stunning! _'Woah! -_ Renekton exclaimed. - _Could you.. spin around?'_ He asked with a begging look.

He didn't even have to repeat to see her spin twice, the white long dress was making perfect moves, and the little shining stones added some glitter to over the top appearance. _'Hella awesome, gurl!'_ He nod his fingers to make her come down from the stage to him. _'What is it?'_ The blonde asked on expiration, fixing her hair. _'Before you play, I think I've got something you're gonna like to have to match this dress.'_ Without hesitation, he pulled a small box from his pocket and opened it right in front of her face, showing the perfect jewellery. _'Merry Christmas, Lux.'_

And Lux stood in absolute awe for a short moment. Her eyes betrayed her shock too easily. _'Can.. I try them on?'_ She asked shyly, making the crocodile feel proud of his choice of present. He allowed her to gently pick them up and slowly approach some bar's window to see herself. Then all of a sudden she started crying. Frickin' crying. People started looking at them with confusion, but the blonde didn't seem to care about them.

She turned to Renekton, no, she ran for a hug like never before, holding to him like for dear life. _'Th-they are perfect..! Thank y-you so much!'_ The girl kept sobbing from overwhelming joy, which was pretty infectious. He couldn't stop smiling.

' _And now you have to fix your make-up before the show.'_ Renekton stated half-heartedly, feeling a bit guilty. He pointed into the stage's direction, because some staff member was waving at them to come. The blonde briefly wiped all her tears of joy and smirked meekly through watery eyes. _'Hope you're gonna wear them during your song.'_

Unable to control her emotions, Lux couldn't help but unleash ever more tears. _'Of course I will!'_ Having that said, Renekton let her have one last little hug before running back to the stage, her hair flowing under the wind. It took him this long to notice her hair was loose and free from the headband she always wore. Maybe if he was bisexual he would have noticed earlier.. but he was not totally gay either.. _'Oh for fuck sake!'_ The crocodile cursed under his nose. Thankfully, his thoughts were interrupted by the clock tower, which has just hit 6 PM, unleashing a loud bell melody. He had to come back home and make dinner.

* * *

Cooking was not Renekton's domain, but it didn't mean he couldn't just look up a recipe or two on a cooking channel, which has been showing xmas related dishes all day long. Easy task, right? That's what he was thinking until the eggs landed in the bowl along with their shells, the fish got over roasted and he forgot to add an overwhelming number of spices to it. Overall, poor reptile wasted an entire hour and suffered two casualties in form of scorched fish and once tidy kitchen.

' _See? That wasn't so hard!'_ A fat lady from the screen looked at him with pure pride. Of course Renekton returned the gesture with intent of pure murder in his gaze.

Not giving up entirely, the crocodile decided to clean up the mess and order a huge salad pizza and roasted chicken. Even though his previous attempt had failed miserably, it didn't discourage him to make one of the few "dishes" he didn't suck at: steamed yeasts. And some mushroom sauce, which's recipe he had known since his childhood. And there was nothing better than some ice-cold cola for all this food.

Just as his creation started smelling like seven heavens the doorbell resonated along the whole flat.

Smiling to himself, Renekton walked into the hall and opened the door for the expected guest. _'Merry kiss-my-ass, Renegade! - Oooh, what's that smell?'_ The yellow haired girl greeted him, typical of her style, but instantly changed her focus on the meal he had just finished. That didn't prevent her from her rests of good manners, as she smirked at him cheerfully and gifted a well packed bottle'o'wine. _'Merry xmas to you too, Dandy.'_ He replied sincerely, accepting the gift.

It took her a brief moment to finally undress from the heavy fluffy coat, but instead of stopping in the living room, she followed her nose into the kitchen. _'Say, pal, ya're gonna tell me what this meal is before ma nose will break off from da wonderful smell or nat?'_ Renekton couldn't help but chuckle and cross his arms in victory. _'You'll have to find out by yourself, it's too hard to explain!'_ Dandelion frowned, annoyed with her curiosity taking over the crocodile's mystery. _'But it looks so simply!'_ She continued whining until she was forced out of the kitchen with a firm hand. _'Just a few minutes, and you will find out, I promise…'_

Just as he expected, her familiar hostility vanished when she devoured the first steamed yeast. _'Oh mah gad. -_ Dandelion swallowed another huge bite - _Like.. it's awesomer than awesome!'_ The chef couldn't help but smile. _'And how was your family reunion?'_ Dandelion almost choked on another piece. _'Oh don't even fuckin' remind me 'bout dat! It was like.. ugh. Just imagine eatin' at da same table with peeps ya hate da most!'_

The reptile shook his head in defeat. _'You really should drop your murderous aura from time to time, maybe they aren't that bad, huh?'_ The girl grinned mysteriously. _'It wouldn't be me, Rene. But.. -_ she reached for a bottle she had put on a counter - _I think some wine won't make it more difficult!'_ Renekton smirked and grabbed the decorative corkscrew. _'Quite the opposite!'_ He agreed.

* * *

If there was anything more the reptile's belly could demand, it was certainly these few glasses of wine. It was halfway empty already, and Dandelion got a little tipsy like she had predicted.

They have been occupying the balcony's floor for a good quarter. Chilling wind was no threat, because of warm air escaping from the apartment. Clear starry sky and illuminated snowy village created an astonishing view, like someone had ordered such perfect weather just for christmas. With their legs dangling out of the railing the duo was chatting about funny stories.

At least that's what Dandelion was doing, and Renekton was just listening _'And then he threw da box with hidden cash into da fire! HAHAHA!'_ But he didn't pay much attention to her blabbering anymore.

Instead, he was focused on the scene beneath them. When another contestant left the scene, the famous actress called Bebe Martha took the stage to announce the short scheduled break. _'Stay tuned, or you'll miss the show we've all been waiting for! I don't think I need to tell you who she is! Oh hell yeah!'_ She exclaimed as the audience started cheering, knowing the answer.

Renekton also knew. And now it has hit him: Lux had forgotten to give him his present. Not that he was angr-

 _RIIIIING!_ Both the blonde and the crocodile turned their heads to the door. _'Maybe it's Nasus!'_ Dandelion rapidly stood up and rushed to the entrance to stop the causer of buzzing more and more often. Not half a minute passed when the girl called him from the second end of the flat: _'It's to ya, Ren'!'_

He stood up, cheering up and full of hope to finally see his brother. Instead he faced like ten times smaller midget in Santa Claus's hat and a present as big as her. _'Merry Christmas to Renny from Luxy, xoxo.'_ Poppy recitated with bored voice from the pinky piece of paper attached to the package with a golden ribbon. _'What the fuck was that text? Ugh, cringe alert!'_ Dandelion commented. Renekton's cheeks burned crimson red when he heard the blonde laugh as he took the present. _'Please, don't make me repeat it..'_ The yordle begged with same cringe in her eyes like in his friend's.

The reptile looked at Poppy's backpack loaded with around fifteen more christmas presents. _'No need, that job must be shitty._ \- he said with felt compassion - _Maybe you'd like to come in for a sec? You look hella cold.'_ But the demacian shook her head and rejected his offer with fervor: _'I regret it as hell, but I volunteered.. Maybe next time, Renekton!'_ The crocodile didn't even have time to thank her, the backpack and it's owner already vanished in the stairway.

* * *

' _Come on, open it, lemme see..!'_

' _...'_

' _Noo way!'_

' _HAHAHA, Oh mah fuckin' god it's so good! I want one like dat!'_

' _You wish, that is my present!'_

' _Then put it on god dammit!'_

' _Not next to you! Gimme some privacy woman!'_

The girl sent him a look of a beaten up dog and moved away to open the passage to his bedroom.

' _You betta hurry cuz I'm going in ina minute or less!'_

Not wasting any second he rushed there, his present flopping in his hand.

* * *

Renekton looked at his reflection in the mirror. _'Besides, they were clearly designed for a man..'_ Dandelion approached him from his right and let out a long whistle and a lusty look. _'Whatcha thinkin'?'_ He asked with a bit of concern, feeling a bit uncomfortable next to her with such piece of clothing.

Dandelion said nothing. Instead she slapped him right in his right rear cheek and held it tightly, making him blush in an instant.

To make things worse, the black material kept making strange sounds, well, like it should do.. But what was the worst? Oh boy, that these hella tight trunks felt so damn good.

' _But how did she know my size..?'_ Renekton asked blankly into his reflection. He traced with his index finger through the present once again. Too awesome. Holy shit.

Dandelion chuckled quietly from behind. _'Oh hell, I don't need to ask to know that it was you!'_ The woman just rolled her eyes with a devilish smirk and answered: _'Well.. it might'ave happened dat Lux asked me for a small favor..'_

Of fucking course, as his summoner she has access to his documents and live statistics on demand. _'I hate you.'_ He summed up with a sniff and Dandelion grinned even wider. But inside he felt borderless joy.

There was also one more present in the bag. The red sweater with a reindeer on the front decorated with shit ton of little bells, which should be the gift she had talked about. But these boxers? He hadn't noticed when and where she had got them! _'Now dat is hella sweet!'_ Dandelion exclaimed.

* * *

Another quarter passed on the balcony, but this time Renekton was the one talking about how he bought his present. Now both his summoner and newly arrived Isabelle were dying of laughter when he told them how he reached the sexshop. The wine had already been dried up, which could be easily seen by looking at Dandelion giving hugs and pecks to everyone. The stage beneath them was getting noisier and noisier, just like the tipsy trio.

That was until Renekton noticed a familiar figure enter the scene. His eyes widened when she sat delicately in front of the dark piano. The entire audience went silent as still as the grave.

Lux coughed lightly. He could imagine himself getting devoured by the stress if he was where she was. Her hands were trembling, same as her voice.

* * *

 **Lux**

The whole world stopped for the girl when she caught a small figure in the distance. Her faithful companion smiled widely and waved back. That gave her enough confidence to hit the first keys.

And he put on her sweater..

* * *

 **Renekton**

Both summoners gasped when the blonde started playing a carol they knew so well, but the crocodile didn't. That didn't matter though, her voice was enough to blow away anyone.

' _O holy night!  
The stars are brightly shining  
It is the night  
Of the dear Savior's birth!  
Long lay the world in sin and error pining  
Till he appeared and the soul felt His worth..'_

She just fucked with him saying she can't sing.

 _Fall on your knees  
Oh hear the angel voices  
Oh night divine  
Oh night when Christ was born  
Oh night divine, oh night, oh night divine_

 _'Merry Christmas to you.'_ Dandelion choked out with strangely normal accent, her eyes stuck into a window on their right with true passion. Renekton followed and met a silhouette of a couple dancing slowly in rhythm of the carol.

 _'Merry Christmas.'_ Isabelle and Renekton replied at the same time and both blankly stared at the pair.

* * *

' _Why I can't sing like dat, Izzy?! Why!'_ Dandelion stood in place and cried out in jealous agony, making some weird-ass dance circles while the duo laughed and kept walking to the summoners' quarters. Renekton decided to walk them back home. That was until the moment a giant shadow emerged from the corner and covered the reptile's eyes making him tremble from surprise and the touch he knew so well.

' _Who let the dogs out?'_ The crocodile laughed and unveiled his face with a swift grasp of the intruder's paws, turned around and landed a perfect kiss right on Nasus's lips.

The girls couldn't hold back their giggling anymore. _'Woof! Woof, woof!'_ His summoner started barking to the rhythm of the song, turning Nasus's face red under the fur. _'Weren't you two supposed to go?'_ Renekton asked half-jokingly, half-beggingly, his eyes stuck on Isabelle. His friend smirked lightly and strongly grabbed Dandelion by her arm, while she was gasping for air, but couldn't stop laughing.

' _Wish you White Christmas, boys…'_ Isabelle winked and disappeared behind the corner with her companion, leaving now both Nasus and Renekton blushed. _'So.. how was your day..?'_ Nasus asked shyly, scraping the floor with his sneaker. Renekton acted hurt: _'Well, not counting the fact that you left me alone at Christmas Ev-' 'I STILL LOVE YA GUYS, IT'S NAT LIKE I WAS LAUGHIN' 'CAUS- mmph!'_

Both brothers goggled with surprise at the same corner the girls left them next to, but Dandelion could scream like from Noxus and they would still be able to hear her yelling in Demacia. Renekton couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. _'Let's just go home.'_ He said, blushing even stronger as his brother embraced him in a protective grasp around the hip.

* * *

They've been strolling around the cold corridors for good five minutes in a total silence, both equally happy that they are together and alone for the first time in a week. _'I still didn't receive an apology.'_ Renekton demanded jokingly, drilling Nasus with his gaze. He shifted uncomfortably and coughed. _'I.. you.. why should I apologize?! Unless you don't want to get your present, which is way better than the rest you got today..'_ The canine let the sentence hang in the air, making Renekton feel sorry, angry and curios at once.

But what hit him the most was his tone when he said _better than the rest_. _'Hey, I like that sweater! Luxy bought it.. You missed her performance, she was so- mmph!'_ His passionate explanation got cut off by canine's paw blocking his airways. Just as he expected, Nasus frowned and tutted. _'Oh come on, man!_ \- Renekton exclaimed in self-defense, forcing his hand to let go - _We both know she is my friend!'_

The canine still didn't seem to be pleased with such an explanation. _'She likes you too much, I'm feeling threatened!'_ Renekton let out a tensed laugh. _'I could say the same about you and your absence! This is getting absurd!'_

Just as the air and fresh snow started feeling too heavy for Renekton, Nasus smiled and hugged him, leaving the reptile totally confused. _'Sorry, I've gone too far.'_

The crocodile raised his eyes and looked into his chocolate ones, full of regret. _'It's just.. I don't have you in that way I used to do anymore..'_ Renekton sniffled in between his talking. _'You're so distant recently.. Shit.'_ Of fucking course he had to start sobbing.

 _'Hey! Don't even think of crying on Christmas Eve!'_ Nasus tried to cheer him up by hugging him firmer. _'I promise that I'll work it all out sooner or later -_ Renekton's tear has just soaked into brother's cloak. _\- Come on, let's go.'_

* * *

A soft whisper broke blows of the wind as they were walking. _'Rene?'_ He raised his look from the floor, but didn't manage to meet brother's eyes. _'Yeah?'_ His voice was way off-tone. _'Do you remember any cool carols, mate?'_

A good minute passed until Renekton decided to sing, even though he was not good, and couldn't remind himself half of the song. The rhythm was enough.

 _'Have yourself a merry little Christmas_

 _Let your heart be light_

 _Next year all our troubles will be.. ugh.'_

Well, this was the part he forgets every time. Not bothering much about Nasus's amusement, he continued:

 _'Have yourself a merry little Christmas_

 _Make the Yuletide gay_

 _Next year all our troubles will be miles away.'_

 _'I guess I need a guitar for this.'_ Renekton summed up, giving a shy smile to his brother. Nasus smiled back and eventually turned it into a laugh, making the reptile feel embarrassed of his singing. _'And a sheet to not forget the lyrics. I can't believe they made the Yule-something gay.'_ Renekton opened his mouth in disbelief. _'But these are the real lyrics! The Yuletide is christmas time.. and.. and.. gay meant happy! I thought you were wiser after reading that shit-ton of books and scrolls!'_

By the time they talked they finally reached Renekton's flat. When he searched for the keys in his pockets he was standing right in front of the canine and his back to the door. Of course it was a perfect occasion for Nasus to put his hand over the reptile's head and lean against the wood. Still smirking, his brother summed up Renekton's explanation. _'I know that gay means happy, dumbass.'_ But before he could answer, he felt Nasus's lips pressure against his own. He kept returning the kisses gently and wrapped himself around his waist. God fucking dammit, his waist was the best.

' _You know nothing.'_ Renekton scolded him jokingly, inserting keys into the lock. He couldn't hold back his instincts any longer when he sensed Nasus's whole body suppress him entirely against the wall. When the door finally budged, they blindly followed in the direction of the bedroom, undressing each other as quickly as it was possible. The pair didn't even care about the gifts they had bought for each other, which landed on the shelf.

By the time they hit the bed, neither Nasus nor Renekton had any clothes remaining. _'Ouch, I think something's sticking up my butt. And it's not you yet.'_ Nasus moaned, pulling out a remote controller, which has been sitting on the bed sheets since yesterday night. Renekton couldn't help but laugh and grab the pilot swiftly. Just as he expected, yesterday's playlist started playing when he hit the power button.

' _Right, where were we..?'_ The crocodile asked lustfully from above his brother, tracing a way from Nasus's throat down to the groin with his forefinger. Canine's body trembled tighter the lower he went. _'I've been waiting for it since the morning.'_ He just mumbled, probably not able to say anything more because of the tension restraining his body.

' _Keep your pretty mouth shut then. I'm headed straight for the castle.'_

* * *

 **Dandelion**

Isabelle's apartment was the essence of luxury in Dandelion's opinion. Spacious and modern, but with element of teenager, just like in the flat's owner. It was a wall covered in various pictures, letters, momentos and stuff. But neither the wall, nor the giant christmas tree kept her attention tonight. The summoner kept staring at the dark window where the brothers disappeared when one of them turned the lights out.

Her friend approached from the kitchen with a plate of hot toasts and placed them next to lying girl in pyjamas with another bottle of wine. Oh the irony, the girl was shitty herself, Dandelion. Why did she keep calling herself in third person tho..? _'Come on, grab a toast. I've put extra ham for you.'_ Isabelle started convincing her. Actually, that was not such a bad mix of tastes with the wine…

 _'Merry Xmas, Izzy.'_ Dandelion wished between the bites. She didn't notice her friend staring at her with compassion. _'You've already wished me that, Dan.'_ Isabelle voice turned to more serious, so Dandelion's eyes tried to keep their focus on her. _'Why I can't be happey like Renegade is..?'_ She whispered, expecting an answer like Izzy has suddenly become some kind of a prophet.

A couple of seconds passed with the question hung up in the air. Finally she got her answer. _'Then just go and ask him out. Fuck the consequences.'_ Renekton's summoner goggled at the girl in pure surprise. _'Who are ya and wha' have ya done with Isabelle!?'_ She exclaimed. _'Shhh! You'll wake the neighbours!'_ Dandelion reacted instantly by putting her hand on her own mouth, like that would change anything. The only poor result was her loud burp.

 _'You really should cut down on that wine, dear.'_ But the summoner only shook her head and held tight to the half-empty bottle like to a baby. But Isabelle didn't give up, reaching for it by force. She was stupid enough to fall into her trap, tripping her friend with her leg, making her land on her stomach. _'Now we both ain't goin' anywhere.'_ Dandelion triumphed proudly and made Isabelle laugh about their situation. _'Wan' a toast?'_ Despite being hella drunk, she landed the sandwich right so the girl could grab it with her mouth. Both women exploded with laughter. _'Righty, stand up, you're gonna choke if ya eat like dat!'_ Dandelion pushed her up, trying to calm down her laughter.

 _'But tell me_ \- Isabelle took a bite - _tell me, did you tell him?'_ Instantly, her grin faded. _'You didn't.'_ She answered her own question blankly. Dandelion looked at her reflection in huge window. A shadow of a girl in make-up destroyed from tears. _'I had no heart to tell him on Christmas Eve.'_

* * *

 **Renekton**

The crocodile poured refreshing cold water and drank it slowly. 3 AM. Middle of the night. The snow started falling and the sky lost all the stars, covered in clouds now. As he grabbed some blueberries from the fridge, a quiet melody caught his attention. Putting the box of berries down and climbing down the stars to the kitchen, he approached the balcony. The scene has not been dismantled yet. Neither the piano. Nor Lux.

He opened the glass doors and his toes hit the freezing snow. When he wanted to shout what was she doing in such cold at 3 AM his intentions were disrupted by the song she was playing. Slow, and sad keys, yet romantic.

' _Oh like a river flows surely to the sea_

 _Darling so it goes some things are meant to be'_

Then the girl noticed him, standing in the cold just in his joggers. She stopped for a split second, but finished the song, her eyes stuck on him:

' _Oh oo-ooh take my hand, take my whole life too_

 _For I can't help falling in love with you_

 _Oh oo-ooh for I, I can't help falling in love with you.'_

* * *

 _Author's notes:_

 _I'm a slow worker, okay? D:_

 _This chapter turned out to be a bit musical and mysterious at the very end. But I don't mind, even though you may be dying of curiousity what did the girls have on thought._

 _I wish to have yourself a merry little Christmas and a happy new year! ;)_

 _Per usual, reviews will be appreciated. Also thank you for continuous support!_

 _Love,_

 _Synder_

* * *

 _Version 1.0: Ready for launch._ _ _2017-12_ -23_

 _Version 1.0.1: Tiny fixes. 2017-01-23_


End file.
